


Caged Wonderland

by Noizchild



Series: Wasteland 2011 [22]
Category: Durarara!!
Genre: Abuse, Cannibalism, Cannibalistic Thoughts, Drugs, Human Experimentation, Mental Breakdown, Mental Instability, Multi, Torture, apocalyse, dis program
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-02
Updated: 2019-01-24
Packaged: 2019-06-20 11:00:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 27
Words: 73,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15532776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Noizchild/pseuds/Noizchild
Summary: Seventh volume is up. Second of three stories that follow my poem, "Wasteland 2011" and the core story. Tandeki takes their game even further. While the tadpole experiments and evolve continue, Chiharu herself starts to notice disturbing changes to her body. She starts seeing blood and visions of dead bodies around her. Why is Junko so interested in her all of a sudden?





	1. Gate

Caged Wonderland

Halo Zero: Gate:

Kitano sat at his desk with hands under his chin. He leaned forward with his brow furrowed.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are about to enter a new stage of the game," he said. "We can expand our projects to the next level. Our pets will inherit the earth after the Woman in Red is freed. We can move onto braver challenges and push the game further than it has gone before. But first a question." Kitano leaned forward.

"Are you staying or are you leaving?" he asked. "Before you answer, think about what you are going to say. Once you make your decision, you can't turn back. If you stay, you can't leave. If you leave, you can't come back in. So think hard on what you want to do." His inner circle, Junko, Aya, Etsuko, Daichi, and Osamu, stood in front of his desk. Kitano's eyes focused on each one of them.

"Well, I'm staying," Junko said. "I mean, I might as well. We've gone this far. Why not keep going? I want to see have this crazy ride ends up."

"She's got a point," Daichi said. "I want to stay too."

"I will stay because you and I still have work on the Tadpole Project," Etsuko said.

"I too want to see where this game will end up," Aya said.

"Copycat," Junko hissed.

"Shut up!" her colleague snapped.

"Otomo, Nakahara, please!" Kitano snapped. Both women went quiet. All eyes turned to Osamu. The man with toned, muscled body shrugged with his hands in his pockets.

"Might as well," he said. "I've got nothing better to do anyway."

"Heh," Kitano said as he lowered his hands. "That settles it. The fifth gate will be opened tonight. Once it is opened, we can take our game further."

"Understood," the rest of the inner circle said. Their leader smirked as he started to picture how this would all play out.

* * *

-Hotel Star Plaza-

-7:00 p.m.-

Yui looked at her cell phone. "Right on time." She looked up to see Hecate and Lucy standing inches away from her at the front desk of the lobby.

"Good evening," Hecate said, bowing. Lucy looked around and whistled.

"Wow," she said. "Quite the upgrade here." The people walking around didn't seem to notice them at all. Lucy smiled as she looked around at the well-lit lobby and clean atmosphere. She nudged her sister on the arm.

"Hey, can we stay here for the night after we get finished here?" she asked.

"No," Hecate said. "We have to return to England once we finish up." Lucy puffed up her cheeks as she pouted.

"Damn it," she said. Hecate turned her attention to Yuzuru.

"Where is the exact location to open it?" she asked. The silent intern held up her glowing pendant over the front desk. The receptionist couldn't see them at all as she typed away on her computer.

"Excellent," Hecate said. She walked up to the front desk and held out her hand.

"Stop right there!" they heard a young girl shout. Lucy laughed as she shook her head.

"You never give up, do you?" she asked, turning her head. "Hiroi Michiko." Michiko and Tiresias stood inches away the nightcomers and interns. The young girl stood frowning.

"I will not let you open this gate!" she snapped. Lucy pushed her white bangs from her eyes.

"You know you're too late, right?" she asked. "Just give up already."

"Never!" Michiko snapped. She reached under the top of her black and white dress and pulled out a small gold key. Lucy narrowed her eyes.

"Don't tell me…" she said. Michiko pressed the button on the top. Lucy covered her ears and started screaming. Hecate sank to her knees screaming as well.

"What?! What's going on?!" Yui asked, looking around. Michiko smirked at her work.

"You like it?" she asked. "It's a little tool I call Nightcomer neutralizer." Lucy looked up with gritted teeth.

"You!" she snapped. "Gah!" She sank down to her knees. Yui ran over to tackle Michiko, but Tiresias whacked her with her silver and red cane.

"I apologize," she said. "But I'm afraid I can't let you do that." The intern breathed in as she tried to tackle Michiko again. To her shock, the blind woman could keep up with her every move, blocking her.

"What the hell?" she asked. The more she moved, the more Tiresias would block her. The whole time, Michiko held the key above her head and started chanting.  _I will not let you open this gate! I will not let you!_

It was then she noticed Hecate mouthing something that only Yuzuru could hear. But, Michiko caught it with her ears.

"Knock me over."

"Tiresias get the other one!" Michiko shouted.

"What?" the blind woman asked. Yui ran past her and tackled the young girl to the ground. Michiko fell to the hard floor, dropping the key. She tried to push Yui off as she crawled to get the key inches away.

"Let me go!" she screamed. The whole time, not a single person looked up to see what the commotion was about. Yuzuru gave Hecate one push towards the front desk. The nightcomer's hand touched the surface. By the time Michiko broke away from Yui and grabbed her key, the ground began to shake. This time, the people started looking around and taking cover.

"Oh no!" she cried. Hecate smiled like the devil himself as she raised her arms.

"Welcome to the new world!" she shouted. Michiko jumped to her feet. Hecate and Lucy had already vanished. Ten minutes later, the shaking stopped.

"Good night," Yui said, waving. She and Yuzuru walked away. Michiko watched them with big eyes as she realized how much more trouble Ikebukuro was in now.

* * *

-Limbo-

Shion sat on a stone bench under her giant cherry tree. She took a sip of her green tea. She glanced up from her cup.

"Oh, nice to see you again," she said. "I know why you are here. No, I didn't forget. I will protect you until you are conceived. It is about that time too. He will try to resist, but he will give in soon. That's how the timeline has been going up to this point."

Shion looked up at the wind blowing through the tree. "Looks like the fifth gate has been opened. It won't be long before we are dragged into the End of Days. He doesn't want that to happen. Michi-san is trying her best to fight it like she always does. Makoto still doesn't have the will to fight. I don't know about his wife or will be the fourth one."

She shook her head. "That is none of my concern. I only follow the whim of the unborn. Right now, my main focus is you. You requested that I protect you until you are born. Relax, you are in good hands. Come on, when have I let you down? Okay, but that one wasn't my fault. Trust me, I will help you be born."

Shion quickly put up her hands. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! One thing at a time here! My main concern is getting you inside of your mother's belly. Don't worry about the other things until we get to that point. Understood? Understood?"

She sat back with a serene smile. "Good. I will take you down to the living world tomorrow morning."

Shion moved her hands up and down. "Easy there. It's the least I can do for you staying by me for so long. You're almost a teenager now. I figured that I would let you see you mother—again. But for now…"

She finished her tea. "I need to finish my midnight snack and get some rest. Care to join me?" Shion held out a dish of mochi.

"You sure? Okay then. More for me." Shion took a bite of a pink mochi cake. "Mmm, this is really good. You'll get to try some when you are able to have a mouth. Yes, I promise you that with all of my heart." She took another bite and smiled.

* * *

-Purgatory-

In a run-down gold and red lobby, a young woman in a black kimono decorated with small silver butterflies was looking through the guest book when she froze.

"Oh…" she said.

"What is going on out there?" a woman's voice asked. The young woman in the black kimono put down her gold feather pen on her black book.

"I think we have a serious problem," she said. She turned when she heard the door open. An older woman dressed in Victorian black attire stood in the doorway. Snow couldn't compare to her pale skin. Her red lips and long black hair made her look like a ghost. The woman at the desk shivered at her appearance.

"They've opened another gate, Vanessa-sama," the woman said, clearing her throat. Vanessa let go of the door frame.

"How many more do they have left?" she asked.

"Two, I believe," the woman at the desk said. "What should we do now?"

"What choice do we have, my dear Miiko-san?" Vanessa asked. "We have to warn the tadpoles and get them to resist again."

"But what about Michiko-san?" Miiko asked.

"I'm afraid she can't do it alone this time," the older woman said. "She's going to need all of the help she can get." The receptionist opened her mouth, but Vanessa held up her hand.

"We will get Makoto and the other two to help her," she added. Miiko narrowed her eyes.

"Other two?" she asked. "Wasn't there just one more player in the game?"

"Ah, but you see," Vanessa said. "They need one more person to help to free her." The receptionist's eyes widened.

"No…" she murmured. "Do we even know who it is?" Vanessa shook her head.

"Oh no…" Miiko said. The black owl clock ticked in the background.

* * *

-Ikebukuro-

By six in morning, the effects of the fifth gate began to take root. Some of the adults started to feel chills down their spines as the feeling being watched began to surface. The tadpoles felt it worse.

"I keep seeing them everywhere," Mikado complained with his knees to his chest. Masaomi rubbed him on the back.

"We're right here with you," he whispered. Mikado looked up at him with a tired look on his face. Anri stood inches away from the boys.

"How long has he been like this?" she asked.

"Since Christmas," Masaomi answered. He was confused and relieved that Anri was now here to help him with his best friend. She was the one who walked Mikado home after the possessed office lady tried to kill him. Masaomi greeted them at the door with a blank stare.

"Anri…" he said.

"Celty and Mika told me everything," she said.

"Some possessed woman tried to kill me," Mikado said.

"What?" Kida asked. Anri slowly backed away Mikado told Masaomi everything that happened. Instinct told her to run, but she remembered what Celty and Mika told her.

"Please, stay by him," Mika told him in the side car of Shooter. "He really needs you. Masaomi can't protect him alone."

"But…" Anri said.

[Please,] Celty wrote in smoke in the sky. [It's only going to get worse for him.] Saika's mother felt that she had no choice. Now, she stared at the two boys on the floor. Anri tried to think of something to say but came up with nothing. She sat down in front of the boys.

"More is coming," Mikado said.

"What do you mean?" Masaomi asked. His friend shook his head.

"It's okay," Anri said. "You can tell us. Take your time if you need to." Mikado kept his eyes lowered. More disturbing images began to play in his head. Not just his time in Chou Mori, but bits and pieces of the future.

"They're all going to die," he muttered. His friends stared at him with the color drained from their faces.

"What are you talking about?" Masaomi asked. "Who's going to die?"

"All of them," Mikado said. He could hear the blood-curdling screams of the people of Ikebukuro. Fire burned everywhere. The flames never touched him, but he could feel that vile woman's breath on his nape. Her long claw-like nails reached ever so slowly for his back. Was she trying to stab him or drag him into her body? Mikado closed his eyes and pleaded one thing in his mind.

_Please let me go._

She smiled behind him and pulled him into slender arms. Her hot breath landed on his right ear. That vile woman uttered something that made his blood run cold.

"Don't be afraid. I just want to show you my world."

Something about the honey-dipped tone that made Mikado break into the smile of a man slowly going insane. He could feel her icy heart beating against his back.

Back in present day, Mikado grabbed his head and buried his face against his knees. He let off a lower whimpering noise.

"Mikado-kun?" Anri asked. She reached out, but Masaomi shook his head.

"Let him get out," he mouthed. Anri held her hand to her big chest.  _Mikado-kun…_

* * *

Outside of Mikado's apartment, Hecate watched the three friends with her eyes locked on Mikado.

"Keep evolving," she said. "You have to in order to bring the new world. You will feel the worst of the darkness just like the others before you see the sunlight. You can stick it out until then." The nightcomer vanished into thin air.

Mikado and the tadpoles weren't the only ones feeling the changes in their bodies.


	2. Institution

Halo One: Institution:

-April 10th, 1987-

Makoto drove up to Chou Mori Institution. The director assured him that his wife was doing well. Still, he couldn't help but feel guilty about having her committed.

"I didn't have a choice," he told himself. "I was only trying to help her. This is for her own good." But now, Makoto wasn't so sure if he believed that himself anymore. His wife's church was absolutely unless in this situation. Prayer, ha! That wasn't going to stop her from offing herself! The man sighed in his car. Too late now. He thought about checking her out but decided against it in the end. But now, he started to wonder if he should check her out again.

Felt like it was too late at this point.

Makoto took a breath and got out the car.

Inside looked like it had seen better days. The walls needed a new coat of paint. How often did these people clean this place? Cobwebs caught the dust on the ceiling. Said ceiling looked so grey with the dust. Makoto thought that he was going pass out from the heat trapped in the lobby. Why did the windows look so dim? Why weren't they even open? Makoto fanned himself with his shirt as he walked up to the front desk. The receptionist looked half-sleep from her post. Makoto waved his hand in front of her face.

"Hello?" he asked. "You awake? Hey! Hey!" The twenty-something woman turned her head.

"What?" she mumbled. Makoto drew back his hand.

"I'm here to visit my wife," he said. The receptionist didn't even blink.

"Sign this book," she said. She shoved a worn-out guestbook across the desk with a pen. Makoto smiled as he picked up the pen and tried to write his name. The ink wouldn't come out on the page.

"Excuse me," he said. "The pen's not working. Could I get another one?" The receptionist just tossed him another pen.

"Okay then…" Makoto said, shrugging. He picked up that pen and started writing down his information. He handed back the book. The receptionist didn't even look at the page as she took back the book. She rested her head onto the desk and slowly started closing her eyes. Makoto made an odd face.  _What is with this girl? Where did they get her? This is unprofessional. I mean, I know it's hot, but still…_

He took a sit in one of the chairs near the wall. The lobby itself looked empty. He felt his body break into buckets of sweat. The director was supposed to come out and greet him. Makoto looked up at the black and white clock above the receptionist. The hands didn't look like they were moving. The man couldn't even hear it ticking. He tilted his head and squinted.

"Is that clock even right?" he asked. The receptionist didn't even lift her head to look up.

"Uh-huh," she mumbled.

"You're not even looking at it."

"I saw it."

Makoto wrinkled his nose. "Do you even care about your job?"

"No."

"Could've fooled me." He rolled his eyes. The receptionist didn't respond. Looked like the horror stories of Chou Mori were truth. The staff didn't seem to care about doing their jobs. Judging by the way that the lobby looked, the rumors turned out to be true. Makoto shook his head.

"How is a place like this still running?" he asked himself aloud.

"We manage," he heard someone say. Makoto looked up to see the director of the institution walking into the lobby from his office.

"Welcome," he said. "We have been expecting you." Makoto rose to his feet. Naturally, he resisted asking how since the receptionist not even pretending to give a shit. Instead, he smiled and bowed.

"Good afternoon, sensei," he said. "Where is my wife?"

"Seeing waiting for you down in the day room," the director said. The man gave him a strange look.

"Why would she be down there?" he asked. "Isn't it against policy for patients during visiting hours?" The director smiled as if he didn't understand the question.

"It's a nice day today," he said. "She's been cooped in her room all the time. I figured that she could use a change of scenery. I would've taken her outside, but we are near Aokigahara and we can't risk having patients get lost in there." Makoto had an odd look on his face.

"It will be fine," the director told him. The other man didn't seem too convinced. This older man appeared to be too lax about his patients, staff, and how things were run in this mental institution. Maybe he should get his wife out of here as soon as he can. The director chuckled and pushed his hair out of his eyes.

"Would you like to see her now?" he asked.

"Yes, I would," Makoto said.

"Follow me please," the director said. He turned and walked into the day room. Makoto looked over at the receptionist at her desk. By now, she had completely dozed off. He wished that he had that pen to throw at her to wake her up. Instead, he shook his head.

_Unprofessional_ , he thought. Makoto sighed andwalked by into the day room.

* * *

The pale yellow walls came as a shock to anyone walking into the day room. That didn't change the fact that the paint was badly chipping. The patients had written and drawn all over the walls over the years. It looked like the orderlies just gave up on cleaning up after them. The furniture looked like something that he would see in a child's classroom. They took looked like they needed to be fixed and painted. Makoto looked around the day room. It didn't look like there were many people around. He shoved his hands into his pockets.

_Where is everybody?_  Makoto looked at the black and white clock on the wall near the small TV. He could tell that clock wasn't working either. Were there any clocks that worked in this place?

"That clock looks broken," Makoto said aloud.

"Are they?" the director asked.

"Yeah," the other man said. Makoto wondered if this director really kept track of Chou Mori and all of its maintenance needs. That's when he saw her. Hya-chan sat at a faded white table in the corner. She looked up at the ceiling as if in a child-like daze. Little dust particles floated in the air before her eyes. Hya-chan reached up for them.

"Is she okay?" Makoto asked.

"Yeah, yeah," the director said. "We just gave her her meds a little while ago." The other man gave him a strange look.

"What kind of medicine?" he asked.

"Just a mild anti-depressant," the older man said. "It's non-habit forming. We just give her small doses while monitoring her closely." Makoto wrinkled his nose as he frowned. The director's cheery tone did little to make the situation any easier.

"I see," he said.

"I will be in the corner over there if you need me," the director said. He bowed and walked over to the glass doors leading to the hall.

"Right," Makoto muttered. He turned his attention to his wife. He walked over and sat down at the table across from her. Hya-chan's eyes moved to see her beloved husband sitting in front of her. Makoto smiled.

"Hey, sweetheart," he said in a low voice. His wife's eyes lit up when she saw him.

"Mako-kun!" she said. Her husband pulled her into his arms.

"I missed you so much," he said. "How have you been?"

"Tired," she said in a soft voice. Her hair looked like it hadn't seen a brush in days. Her clothes looked like they had just been washed and ironed. Makoto got a better look at his wife. She looked like she had lost a few pounds since he committed her back in January. When did she have bags under her eyes?

"Are you eating well?" Makoto asked. "Are they feeding you?"

"Yes," Hya-chan said.

"Do they treat you well here?"

"Of course. Everyone is so nice here!" Something in the way she said that nearly sounded so forced. "Well, there is my therapist."

Makoto frowned as he narrowed his eyes. "What about him?" Hya-chan shook her head.

"It's nothing," she said. Hya-chan quickly looked away.

"Hya-chan, talk to me," Makoto said. "I want to help you. If Kitano-sensei is doing anything to hurt you, I will protect you. But you have to be honest with me, okay?" His wife lowered her head as she nodded.

"Has he hurt you in any way?" he asked. She shook her head.

"No."

"Has he tried to come onto you?"

"No."

"Have he tried to force himself onto you?"

"No."

"Has he even raised his hand against you?"

"No."

"Has he even laid a hand on you?"

"No."

Makoto narrowed his eyes. "Then… What is the problem? What is wrong with Kitano-sensei?" His wife looked up at him.

"He keeps saying strange things," she said.

"Strange things like what?" Makoto asked.

"He keeps showing me horrible news from different newspapers and asking why God didn't save those people."

"Why would he do that?"

"I don't know." She put her head down on the faded white metal table. Makoto hesitated before resting his hand on her head. Instinct told him that he needed to get her out of here. He's had to wrestle with this many times. On the one hand, Hya-chan looked a little bit better than she did in December. But on the other hand, Kitano-sensei didn't seem to be helping her with his disturbing articles. Plus looking around this place didn't give him much confidence. Until today, Makoto had been sitting on the fence.

He leaned down to her ear.

"I will come back for and take you home," the man whispered in his wife's ear. Hya-chan lifted her head. Makoto leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. For once in six months, he saw a little bit of hope in her eyes. The director walked over to the couple.

"It's time to go," he said, resting his hand on Makoto's shoulder. The younger man turned his head. The little glow in Hya-chan's eyes started to die. Her husband closed his mouth and bowed his head.

"I understand," he said in a low voice. Makoto got up from the table. As he walked away, he looked over his shoulder. Hya-chan stared at him, pleading with him not to leave as her husband walked away. Makoto forced himself to turn away as he walked out of the day room. He already knew that the guilt would come for him as soon as he got into his car.

Three months later, his instinct would prove to be correct.


	3. Chiharu

Halo Two: Chiharu:

Chiharu rubbed her forehead in class. The pain's been getting worse. Last night, she couldn't sleep. She had the sensation of little spiders crawling all over her body. She'd lay under her sheets sweating. If Chiharu pushed off the blanket, she would find herself freezing. Pulling up the blanket didn't help because she would go back to sweating buckets. Even now, it felt like the classroom was closing in on her.

"Chi? Chi? Chi?"

She glanced up to see Masaomi waving his hand in front of her face.

"Hello?" he asked. "Anybody home?" Chiharu blinked at first. Masaomi frowned as he saw her sweating and breathing heavily through her nose.

"You okay?" he asked.

"No," she said in a growl-whimper. She sighed as she rubbed her forehead. Kida sat down in front of her.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I… I don't know," Chiharu said. "I haven't been sleeping too well. I didn't even sleep last night. I keep smelling blood everywhere I go. My headaches are getting worse. I can't even get myself to eat at times."

"You smell blood?" Kida asked. "Why?" Chiharu groaned as she shook her head.

"I don't know!" she said. Some of their classmates started staring at them.

"What?!" she snapped. Everyone else quickly returned to what they were doing. Chiharu looked down at her desk.

"Think you should see a doctor?" Masaomi asked. She looked up at him, glaring.

"There is no way I'm going to see that bitch!" she snapped.

"I'm not talking about Junko," he whispered. "I mean your doctor." Chiharu blinked for a second.

"Ah," she said. "Why didn't I think of that? Thanks, Kida."

"No problem," he said.

Meanwhile, Junko stood in the hallway eavesdropping. Already, the windows turned in her head on how to get her main test subject back. The nurse walked back to her office.

* * *

-3:25 p.m.-

"Etsuko!" Junko said in a cheerful tone as she knocked on the doctor's door at the hospital. "I need a little help with something." Her colleague rolled her eyes as she didn't look up from her computer.

"I thought I told you not to show up at my workplace," she said.

"This is the only way to reach your outside of Rampo," Junko said. She closed the door behind her. "You never answer your phone."

"That's because I'm working with patients," Etsuko said.

"Never mind that," the nurse said. "I need you to help me out with something." Her colleague didn't look up from her computer.

"What?" she asked.

"Oh, just a little bit of dirt on a particular doctor here," Junko said. Etsuko stopped typing on the keyboard.

"May I ask why?" she asked.

"Oh, I just need some juicy dirt to push my end of the game along," the nurse said. The words "push my end of the game along" dropped into a whisper as she got closer. Etsuko turned around.

"Are you saying that…?" she asked.

"What choice do I have?" Junko asked. "There's no way that little brat will trust me to get close to her."

"What did you say?" Etsuko asked. The nurse groaned and rolled her eyes.

"That girl won't trust me to give her drug, so I have to give it to her another way," she said, this time much slower.

"Oh," the doctor said.

"I have to get her back," the nurse said. "Now that the game is open for us to move forward, the chance fell right into my lap. I have to take it now."

"Okay, okay," Etsuko said. "Who do you want me to look up?"

"I just want to know who Hashimoto Chiharu's doctor is," Junko said, leaning over her shoulder at the computer. The doctor frowned at her.

"Can you please back up?" she asked.

"Oh, sorry," Junko said. She backed up a few steps.

"Thank you," Etsuko said. She turned to the computer and got right to work.

* * *

-Friday-

Shizumu-sensei stood in the hallway, trembling. That one little visit last night felt like a gun to his back. He was about to go home for the night. The doctor had plans for a hot meal, bath, and going to sleep. That plan became up-ended when he encountered Junko in the parking lot. She stood staring at him, smirking. At first, the doctor didn't pay much attention as he walked by her.

"Shizumu-sensei!" the nurse spoke up. He stopped in his tracks.

"Yes?" the doctor asked. Junko broke into a little smile.

"I won't take up too much of your time," she said. "But, I need you to give a certain patient a special tonic of mine." The nurse pulled out a small brown bottle with no label on it. Her target took a step back.

"What?" Shizumu-sensei asked. "I can't do that. That's unethical. I can't drug a patient with an unknown drug."

"Unethical, huh?" she asked. "Just like your little fling with an Awakusu executive's wife?" Shizumu-sensei froze.

"Wait! How do you know about…?!" he said as all of the color drained from his face. Junko smiled and shook her head.

"That's not all," she said. The nurse narrowed her eyes. "Tell me, has Masako been having strange food cravings?"

"Huh?" he asked.

"Tired all the time? Feeling nauseated? Swollen tender breasts?"

Shizumu-sensei's eyes widened as he covered his mouth. "Are you saying that she's pregnant?"

"So I am right!" Junko said. "Oh, that's bad for you. I wonder who the father is. Her husband or you." As she spoke, Shizumu-sensei looked like his soul left his body. Junko leaned in close to his ear.

"If it's yours, you know you are screwed, right?" she whispered. That last little bit was the knife to the chest. Junko pulled away looking like an angel in black.

"We'll be in touch," she told him. It got worse when he mistress called him as soon as he got home. Said that she needed to talk to him. Told him to meet up at their usual bar. Maybe it wouldn't be about that…

All hopes were dashed when she showed him the multiple pregnancies tests. Shizumu-sensei gulped.

"Is the baby… mine?" he asked.

"I don't know!" his mistress wailed. "My husband wants to me to keep it. He's excited to be a dad." She buried her head in her hands.

"But he doesn't know about us, does he?" the doctor asked.

"Well… what do you want to do?"

"I don't know!" His mistress groaned. "This is bad." About three in the morning, Shizumu-sensei's phone rang.

"H-H-Hello?" he asked, trembling in his doorway.

"Sensei!" Junko said.

"How did you get this number?"

"I have some really good friends. Anyway, are you ready to help me out?"

Shizumu-sensei sank to his knees looking so pale. "Yes! Please help me! I'll do anything you say! Tell me what to do!"

* * *

Shizumu-sensei took a deep breath and put on a brave face as he walked into the doctor's office. "Good morning, how has school been for you?" Chiharu looked up at him through her pain.

"Good," she said. The doctor sat down in front of her.

"Your brother still trying to find a husband?" he asked. His patient groaned and rolled her eyes.

"Please don't remind me," she said.

"I take it he's doing well too?"

"Yeah."

He had to keep up the familiarity to put off suspicion. The doctor could risk his job and end up killing Chiharu by this drug Junko gave him.

"How frequent have your headaches been?" Shizumu-sensei asked.

"Daily," Chiharu said. "I feel like I'm going to throw up at times. Sometimes, I can't even bring myself to eat." Shizumu-sensei typed up the additional symptoms on his computer.

"Any tiredness?" he asked.

"I haven't been sleeping for days now. I feel like I am burning up under the sheets. When I take them off, I am freezing. I put the sheet back on and I am burning up again. And I keep smelling blood."

The doctor raised an eyebrow. "You smell blood?" He shook his head. "Never mind, I would like to run tests on you starting with drawing a sample of your blood if that is okay."

"I'll take anything at this point," Chiharu said. The doctor chuckled.

"Let's just start with the blood test, shall we?" he asked. "In the meantime, I want to try to give you something for the headaches and insomnia." He reached into his coat and pulled out the small brown bottle.

"What is that?" Chiharu asked.

"It's a small herbal tonic," Shizumu-sensei said. "They are still testing in the lab. I just picked up the sample today. Now I have to warn you, this stuff is strong. The smell alone can make you dizzy. I would suggest that you take it at night." He had to sell this. As long as Chiharu took the bottle, his secret would be safe. All he would have to do if pray that the child wasn't his. If he was…

His patient took the bottle. "Thank you." Shizumu-sensei breathed out in his mind.

"Thank you," he said. "The nurse will show you to out to get your blood drawn." The doctor returned to his computer and wrote down the information.

"Okay, thank you," Chiharu said. She bowed and turned to the nurse waiting in the doorway. Shizumu-sensei practically held his breath as he heard the footsteps walking away. Once they were gone, he pulled out his phone. Shizumu-sensei held his breath.

"It's done," he typed.

The doctor hit send. Seconds later, Junko replied back a thumbs up sticker. Shizumu-sensei breathed out and slumped in his chair. Now, he would have to wait for nine months to see if he was going to be a father or not.

Meanwhile, Chiharu had her blood drawn and made her way to the check out desk. After making another appointment for herself, she went home.

* * *

The rest of the day went by normal. But, Chiharu couldn't shake the feeling that her doctor of fourteen years was acting strange. He seemed to be nervous about something. Shizumu-sensei appeared to be forcing himself to be friendly. Chiharu looked at her full-length mirror with the little bottle in her hand.

_Trial drug for my headaches and insomnia, huh?_  She was willing to try anything at this point.

Chiharu twisted the plastic cap off of the bottle. Instructions told her to drink the whole thing. The smell was pungent enough to make her head spin.

"Ugh!" she shouted. "Yuck! What the hell?" Chiharu frowned as she looked at the bottle. How would this taste? But her pounding head reminded her that she had no choice. She closed her eyes and pinched her nose. She took one gulp.

Chiharu collapsed back onto her bed. She was out like a light.

* * *

Hours later, Chiharu stirred away. To her surprise, her head didn't hurt.

"Wow!" she said. "I feel better." She looked over at the clock on her nightstand. The time read six in the morning.

"Oh shit!" Chiharu shouted. She leapt off of her bed and hurried to get ready for school. The empty bottle lay on its side on the light brown rug.


	4. Junko

Halo Three: Junko:

_[I have always stood out. In Edinburgh, mum and I were the only Japanese people in our neighborhood. In Ikebukuro, my accent makes me stand out.]_

Around August 10th, 1978, Nakahara Kyoko arrived in Edinburgh, Scotland. She left Japan after finding out her husband cheated on her with his nurse. Initially, she just wanted to get away and clear her head. The young doctor had planned to stay there for a few days and return to Japan. She had no idea of the trouble brewing back in Ikebukuro.

On August 15th, a double shock hit Kyoko in the face.

It started on that dreary morning. Kyoko had stopped by a local market to buy food for the day. Lately, she had been cramming so much food into her mouth every chance she got. Kyoko chalked it up to being emotionally distraught over her cheating husband. But then, she noticed herself getting sick for no apparent reason. It wasn't the food or the environment. The young doctor noticed that her breasts had been swollen since last night. The horror sank in as Kyoko munched on a sausage.

"No…" she said to herself. "No, no, no, no, no!" Kyoko dropped her bags and took off running. By ten in the morning, she her fears came true. Nakahara Kyoko was pregnant. Pregnant by the man who betrayed her. It got worse by the evening.

When she came home, the phone rang.

"Hello?" Kyoko asked when she answered in the kitchen.

"Uh yes, is this Chiba-sensei?" a man asked on the other line in Japanese. The doctor narrowed her eyes.

"Yes… Who is this?" she asked.

"I'm with the Ikebukuro police department," the man said. "Did you know that your husband and his nurse were murdered four days ago?"

"What?" Kyoko asked. The cop broke down how the office was covered in blood and the two people had gone missing. Kyoko rubbed her forehead.

"Wow… Uh… Okay… I don't know what to say," she said.

"You don't sound to broken up about it," the officer said. The doctor sighed.

"My husband cheated on me and I kept him in his office about to have sex with that woman," she said.

"And when was this?"

"Um… The eighth or ninth. It was his birthday and I wanted to surprise him. I went by our favorite bakery and bought him a chocolate cake."

"What happened? Did you get mad?"

"Of course I did! You would get mad too if you found out your spouse was cheating on you!"

"What did you do when you caught them?"

Kyoko paused. "Wait… Are you suggesting that I killed them?"

"I just want to know what happened," the cop said. "So after you caught them about to do, what did you do?"

"I yelled at them and threw the cake," she said. "I threw other things at them. I don't remember what they were."

"And then what happened?"

"I tore up his office and left. I packed up my things and took the next plane out to Edinburgh."

"Why did you leave?"

"To clear my head. Originally, Jiro and I were going to go to Scotland for our wedding anniversary." Then, the sickness hit. "I have to go, I think I'm going to be sick!" Kyoko hung up before the officer could speak and ran to the bathroom.

The next day, Kyoko thought about getting an abortion. She made an appointment in the morning and came in early. After sitting around waiting in the empty waiting room, the doctor had a change of heart at the last minute and quietly walked away. She decided that if this child was going to be born, she would put it to good use.

On April 20th, 1971, Nakahara Junko was born.

* * *

-Present Day-

Junko sat at her computer, typing. Already, her experiment on Chiharu began. The first dose was safely delivered. She already had several more bottles ready to be delivered. That part was finished and now she could expand her project even further.

Junko turned her chair around to the many filled cages. The 'animals' were clawing at the steel bars hungry for food. How did a nurse skilled in poisons come to take care of these "angels"? Junko sometimes asked the same question. He phone buzzed beside her.

"It's done," the text read.

"Heh," Junko said. She just typed in a thumbs-up sticker and hit send. This drug mule will be so easy to control for the Angel Project.

"And you're sure that she's really pregnant?" Junko asked Etsuko earlier in the day.

"Yes," the doctor said. "I have her results from her examination three days ago." Etsuko pulled up the patient files on the computer and showed them off to Junko.

"Perfect," the nurse said. With leverage in hand, she was ready to get started.

Junko pulled up a hidden file on her desktop. She looked at the three names that she needed to add to the project. The top one had to be done, but the other two were her choice. First, was the one that had to be done.

Hashimoto Chiharu. Age seventeen and birthday July thirtieth. She's never trusted Junko since day one. Chiharu always stayed by Noriko whenever she could and looked at the nurse with a mean face. This didn't bother Junko, but she couldn't act on dealing with her protectiveness over her friend. Opening the fifth gate gave her the permission that she needed to deal with Chiharu and to complete the Angel project with her as the centerpiece.

She wasn't the only one either.

Kuronuma Aoba. Age fifteen and birthday August fourteenth. Oh yes, him. For one too many times this child had been a thorn in Junko's side. She dreamt of all of the pain and misery she would bring him in the Angel Project. Before, she couldn't do it because of the Blue Squares, Mikado, and drawing too much attention to Tandeki's activities. With the fifth gate, anything could go.

There was one more on her list.

Nasujima Takashi. This fucking asshole. Junko took an immediate dislike to him. Staring inappropriately at the female students. Standing too close to Anri. Junko caught him trying to peep on Noriko while she was in the school shower.

"What do you think you're doing?" Junko asked when she caught him in the hallway. Nasujima-sensei whipped around. The nurse stood with a stern look on her face. He looked around and nervously chuckled.

"Nothing!" he lied. "Uh… I was just checking on her to see if she was okay." Junko glared at him.

"You are staring at a married woman," she hissed.

"What are you talking about?" Nasujima-sensei asked. She couldn't do anything to him at the time. It would draw too much attention. Now that the fifth gate was open…

Junko looked at the top two names on her list. Nasujima-sensei was a grudge, but Chiharu and Aoba were just cocky in her eyes. She smirked at her screen before closing the file. The nurse had a thing for breaking the cocky ones.

* * *

_[My mum was strange to me in the least bit. Sure, she took care of me, but I didn't really know what she was thinking. Part of me that she resented me. Resented that I was even born because my father cheated on her. Resented that a part of him would be stuck with her forever.]_

Kyoko did love her daughter like a parent was supposed to. It wasn't the child's fault of who her father was. Still, the doctor figured that she could put that child to good use in some way. She used her medical knowledge and love of plant as the way how.

When Junko was four, Kyoko called her to the kitchen table.

"Good morning, sweetie," she said. Junko gave her an odd look. Her mother was almost never smiling around her. What was she planning now?

"I have a special treat for you today," Kyoko said. She sent down a giant white plate on the table.

"Come and taste it," she said. Junko stood blinking for a minute. Her mother's smile didn't change.

"Come on," her mother insisted. "Eat up." The child wrinkled her nose as she walked over to the chair. She looked down and saw a single green leaf on a plate.

"What is this, mummy?" Junko asked.

"A little treat," Kyoko said. "Go on, eat it." The child didn't look too certain at first. She slowly picked up the leaf and put it in her mouth. Her mother watched her chewing on it. The child swallowed.

"Very good," Kyoko said. She leaned down to her daughter's ear. "I fed you poison. You might die soon." Junko looked up at her with big, frightened eyes. The doctor smiled and laughed.

"Don't worry," she said. "It was only a small amount. You will not die." The little girl gave her a blank stare. That was how the ritual began. Kyoko would feed little Junko small amounts of different poisons, not to kill her, but to make her more immune to them. Her reasoning was rather peculiar too.

"It is to make you a better woman," Kyoko said. Junko didn't understand how, but she went along with it. Every day, they would read about poisonous plants. Kyoko crammed as much information into her daughter's head about any type of poison known to man. At first, Junko didn't get it.

"Why do I have to go through this?" she asked when she was twelve years old. Kyoko looked her in the eye.

"To add meaning and skill to your life," she said. "I will never let you be like him."

"Who are you talking about?" Junko asked.

"Your father," her mother said. The way she said that made the young girl shiver.

"Oh…" Junko said in a quiet voice. Poisons weren't the only thing Kyoko taught her daughter. Ever since she was four, Junko had been exposed to her mother's medical career. Kyoko showed her different books on the subject. Junko found herself fascinated at the pictures of bodies and their parts. Sometimes, she would help around at Kyoko's clinic in the neighborhood. Her mother would even quiz her on different medical procedures.

Junko worked hard and made straight A's. She made Kyoko so proud when she announced that she was going into med school.

* * *

-Present Day-

Junko turned her head when she heard a knock on her door.

"Enter!" she called. The nurse turned to see her intern, Yui, standing in the doorway. Takase Yui. She had been working with her since 2006. Junko perked up.

"Anything new so far?" she asked.

"No, ma'am," Yui said. The intern walked over to her boss.

"Doing more paperwork?" she asked.

"Yes," Junko said. "How are the angels doing?"

"The same as usual," Yui said.

"None of them evolved yet?"

"No, ma'am."

"Ah." Junko typed up more notes on her screen. "Where is Naoki-kun?"

"He's at his usual post."

"Good, good." The nurse stopped typing. "Listen, things are going to pretty busy for this summer. We're going to take our project further than it has gone."

Yui's deep brown eyes grew wide. "You mean we're going to…?"

"Aye," Junko said. "I already started giving her the medicine."

"You found a way?"

"Through her doctor. Let's just say I found some juicy dirt on him to get him to be a good little puppet for us."

Her intern giggled. "You're kind of scary." Junko smiled to herself as she focused on her screen.

"Heh," was all she said.

* * *

_[Kitano was a strange man even back then. He first came to Scotland to look for fresh new talent. He wanted to go after my mother, but she didn't want to go back to Japan. Other rather, she couldn't go back.]_

Around 2004, Kitano touched down in Edinburgh. He had heard about how good Kyoko was as a doctor. Despite the rumors of her murdering her husband and his mistress, he just had to add her to the Tandeki Group. After much digging and asking around in Edinburgh, he tracked her down to her clinic. Kitano knocked on the glass door.

"I'm sorry, I'm not open yet," Kyoko said as she walked into the waiting room.

"I'm not a patient," he said. "I just want to talk to you about another matter." The doctor looked confused as she unlocked the doors.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"My name is Kitano Katsuhiro-sensei," he said. "I have heard so much about you." Kyoko frowned as she shook her head.

"You and the rest of Ikebukuro," she muttered. The doctor was about to close the door, but Kitano grabbed the edge.

"I'm not taking about your husband and his mistress," he said. "I'm talking about your skills. I want to recruit you for my group. May I come and chat?" Kyoko gave him a confused look.

Before she knew it, she said, "Sure, come in."

"Thank you," he said. They bowed and he followed her into the clinic.

* * *

-Present Day-

Junko smiled as she looked at her phone. The full effect should be coming in right about… now…


	5. Harley

Halo Four: Harley:

With the fifth gate opened, stronger demons came into the living world. Just like the ones before them, they too wanted homes made out of flesh and blood. It wasn't just the children and tadpoles who saw them this time. The demons would try and deal with them after they were all settled in the living world. A couple of them would wreck havoc in their own way.

She opened her eyes in the deep night sky. She hadn't seen Ikebukuro since World War II when she was floating over it next to her boss. Tonight, she looked around below her.

_I made it._

Now, she had to find a vessel to call home.

She flew over the city looking for a body dying or dead. Her first choice was an old man dying of a heart attack. His wife tried to call for an ambulance as he clutched his chest. He gasped for air as he started sweating. Meanwhile, she in the sky looked at the old man on the sidewalk.

_No, too old._

She flew over them and resumed her search. A younger, fat man looked to be choking outside of a convenient store. He held his half-bitten sandwich in his hand. The man stumbled around, trying to breathe. She looked at him as he tried to get the food out of his throat.

_No good._

She flew away and resumed her search again. This time, she came upon a gang fight in the middle of a junk yard. She tried to see through the muscled and skinny men exchanging blows with knives, fists, and a spiked ball. She could keep up with each rapid movement. So many humans to choose from.

That's when she spotted her.

A woman lay on the ground bleeding from a deep stab wound to the chest. Her breathing became labored as blood poured from her heavy bust. Two gangsters dressed like punk rockers tried to contain the bleeding.

"Stay with us, aneki," one of them said. She in the sky looked down at the dying woman. She looked rather attractive despite on tattoos on her torso. Her short shorts, ripped pantyhose, black ripped top, and jewels screamed boss. She in the sky smiled at the black spiked heels.

_Perfect!_

She flew straight down to the woman dying on the ground.

The dying woman sat up with a jolt. She turned to the two shocked men by her side.

"Boss?" one of them asked. The woman turned to face him.

"So this is what it's like," she said. "I miss this feeling."

"Huh?" the other thug asked. The woman jumped to her feet.

"What are you standing around for?" she asked. "We've got a war to finish! Get to it!" The woman marched forward into the fray. The men looked at each other wondering what just happened. Their boss looked over her shoulder.

"What are you doing standing there for?" she asked. "Come on already!" The thugs reluctantly shrugged and followed behind. The woman smirked to herself as she walked closer to the battle.

* * *

Meanwhile, another demon floated around in the sky. He too wanted a vessel. This had to be a special vessel for him. He had always taken male bodies to possess. For a long time, he waited for that damned gate to be opened.

Tonight he would make the most of it.

He made his way to Ikebukuro Ekimae Park. When he looked down, there was a couple sitting on the grass, making out. The man inched his hands towards his girlfriend's breasts. She gently tried to push him away. He tried again, but she pushed him off.

"What's the matter?" the boyfriend asked. His girlfriend shook her head.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Nothing," she lied. Her boyfriend frowned.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," he said. His girlfriend shivered with her hand to her chest.

"I'm sorry," she murmured. "I just can't…" He rolled his eyes.

"Again?" his boyfriend asked.

"I know I keep putting this off," the woman reasoned. "It's just…" He in the sky observed the couple talking. He had his eyes on the boyfriend. The man had some nice muscles to his arms and torso. The demon watched as excited thoughts ran through his mind.

_He will do just fine._

Timing had to be everything to a possession. The wrong moment could just upset everything and plus, the target wasn't alone. Maybe he could wait until the man seduced his girlfriend and he got up and went to the car for condoms or something. For now, the demon waited patiently.

"What?" the man asked on the ground. "Don't you love me?"

"I do," the girlfriend said. "I'm just not ready."

"Well then, when?" he asked. She shrugged and shook her head. The man gave her a sympathetic smile as he put his arm around her shoulders.

"Aw, come here," he said. "I'll wait as long as I have to." His girlfriend looked up at him, wide-eyed.

"You really mean that?" she asked. Her boyfriend laughed and held out his arms wide.

"I love this mu-!" he shouted to sky.

Stab!

His girlfriend screamed as long brown claws stuck through her his chest. Blood splattered all over her white blouse. Blood ran down his open mouth. The attack happened so fast that neither one had time to react. She couldn't even see the creature attacking her boyfriend. The claws were yanked out of the dead man and the body fell on her lap. A pair of golden eyes rested on her. He in the sky panicked.

_Oh shit! That bastard killed my target! Looks like I don't have a choice!_

The faceless creature moved in for the kill. The poor woman shielded her eyes as she started screaming. But then, nothing came. She lowered her arms and found herself alone.

"That was close," the demon said in her body. He paused and looked down at her chest. Right away, he spotted the two giant breasts on her chest. How could he not reach down and touch them?

"Hm," he said, fondling his vessel's breasts. "This is different."

_W-W-Who are you?_

"Oh, you're still here," he said. They froze when they heard sirens in the distance. A flashlight flashed in the woman's face.

"Police! Are you okay, miss?" a police officer asked. She put up her hands and shielded her eyes. He would have to take the new body out for a spin later.

* * *

Shiki looked at all of the files in front of him on the table. Clean, too clean. The Tandeki Group had no major criminal records attached to their name. Osamu had been arrested for petty crimes in the past. Shoplifting, vandalism, a couple of fights at his school, but this all took place when he was still a minor. Other than that, nothing really stuck out. The mob executive frowned.

"I do not like this," he muttered.

Something didn't sit right with him about Rampo Biotech. Nobody Kazamoto talked knew what they did for a living. The building itself had been around since the seventies. Rampo Biotech didn't become officially active until about 2010. However, there had been reports of activity in the building as early as 1999.

Clearly there had to be something shady going on. But why look up the Tandeki Group and Rampo Biotech? Call it a hunch. Then there was the issue of Akabayashi's death.

Yes, that issue.

Who put the curse out on him? Akabayashi had many enemies in the past, but they didn't seem like the type to go the curse route to put an end to him.

Also, what kind of curse was this? Akabayashi didn't seem like the type to feel something like that. Was that woman he was saying a witch? Anri said something about seeing the Red Demon with a rotting corpse in bed. Who was that skeleton he was found with? Of course, the people were stumped by all of these questions. Kazamoto couldn't come with any information either.

Shiki rubbed his forehead. Despite the headaches this created, he just had to find the truth. The mob executive looked at the notes in front of him again.

* * *

-Earlier in the Day-

Akane sat on the swings of her school playground. None of the children were playing like they normally would. They spoke in hushed toned with their orange paper lanterns by their sides. Occasionally, they will look up at the sky and see the dragons known as Paranoia and Intolerance floating by. Like her classmates, she too could see the ghosts and demons wandering around the city. She saw the dragons flying around in the sky. The teachers and parents were starting to believe the children at this point.

"You can see them too, can't you?" someone asked beside her. Akane turned her head. A boy about her age dressed in a school uniform sat next to her on the swings. She gave him a strange look at his Totoro hat on his head.

"Yeah," Akane said at last.

"I see them too," the boy said. "Oh, my name is Kawamata Goro."

"Akane," she said. "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," Goro said back. The children bowed their heads at the swings.

"You can see them?" Akane asked.

"Yes," he said. "I used to talk to this man dressed in a black coat every night." The mob princess' eyes widened.

"A man dressed in black?" she asked.

"Yes," Goro whispered.

"What does he want with you?"

"I don't know. He never talked back. The man would stand outside my door and stare at me. Mama had to put charms around all over the apartment and in our rooms. She thought that I was playing around until I kept telling her what I saw." The little boy shivered. "It's kind of creepy to think about it."

Akane looked down at her lap. She had heard the stories of children being spirited away by demons in the streets at night. Despite being a powerful branch of the yakuza, her father and grandfather wouldn't let her go out alone. Security around her grew tighter after Akabayashi's passing.

"How long will we be seeing them?" she asked.

"I don't know," he said. Both children shivered. It didn't help that even the adults started to look worried at this point.

"Look! There's another one!" a girl on the playground yelled, pointing at the sky. "There's another dragon!" Akane, Goro, and the other children rushed over for a look. And sure enough, three dragons now flew in the skies of Ikebukuro.

* * *

Henshuubyou and Fukan'yo drifted in the skies when they heard rumbling sounds like footsteps in the clouds. The dragons took into human form and sank to their knees. The younger of the two instantly bowed. A man with long blonde walked up to them. He had tiny mirrors sewn to his red, white, and black kimono.

"Yo," he said, waving.

"Brother!" Henshuubyou said.

"Welcome home, Kyoei-nii," Fukan'yo said. The older dragon looked around.

"We're short a brother," he said. Henshuubyou and Fukan'yo lowered their heads.

"Oh, other gates aren't open yet, I see," the older dragon said. "That's okay." He hugged his little brothers.

"We can wait until he comes along," he said. "I missed you so much." They turned into their dragon forms and started flying around in the sky again.

* * *

On the ground, the gangster woman looked up, smiling.

"Beautiful," she said. She pulled out her vessel's phone and looked at the screen.

"I wonder what's going to happen next," the woman said to herself.


	6. Angel

Halo Five: Angel:

-July 10th, 1991-

Even back then, Kitano and Etsuko needed assistants on the Tadpole Project. Three orderlies worked with them at the time. It wasn't by choice, however. Those unlucky enough to come across Guillotine Hill when getting lost in the building ended up being recruited to help with the tadpoles. Sure administration was lax around that time, but Kitano and Etsuko didn't want to take their chances. They've been going two years strong with their project and they weren't going to have one minor screw-up torpedo the whole thing.

But even with careful planning, something unexpected may pop up and flip the script.

Kitano and Etsuko were going over the notes of all the living test subjects when that unexpected element fell in their lap. Etsuko marked through ages thirty and older.

"It looks like Amaterasu is more effective on subjects aged three to their late twenties," she said. "It would appear that their bodies haven't fully matured yet and they can take the drug more easily."

"It would appear that way," Kitano said. He already began making on how to improve the beginning for the next round of in the experiments. Suddenly, the doors to the tiny office burst open. Kitano and Etsuko turned to see an orderly holding the edges of the door, panting.

"Boss!" he shouted. "Come quickly! We have a problem!" Kitano raised his eyebrow.

"What?" he asked.

* * *

The orderly led the project leaders down to the basement. It was so dark that Kitano had to turn on a flashlight.

"What are we looking?" he asked.

"There!" the orderly said, pointing ahead in the dim light. Kitano stopped when he spotted a figure lying on the cold concreate floor. He could see the matted black hair with a pale white arm clawing out to his party. Its raspy gasping noises filled the darkness. It almost shouted like it was choking.

"I was deposing of the bodies like you instructed," the orderly said. "I was about to push her into the fire when she gasped. The noise was so loud that I ran for you." Kitano walked forward with the flashlight with the woman on the ground. He could tell by bindings on her wrists and ankles and the ripped gown that she was failed test subject of his.

"Heh," Kitano said. He looked around on the floor with his flashlight. The therapist spotted a metal pipe.

"You should've finished her off right away," he said. Kitano grabbed the pipe and smashed the woman in the head. She made louder gasping noises. He whacked her in the head three more times. The blood splattered on the floor, his shoe, and his coat. Kitano hit her as hard as he could too. He stood up and wiped the sweat from his brow.

"That should do it," he said. Kitano turned to walk about to Etsuko and the orderly. But then, he paused when he heard the gasping noises getting louder. The therapist turned to see the bloodied woman squirming around and breathing heavily.

"What the hell?" Kitano asked. He picked up the pipe and beat the woman in the head five more times. She still wouldn't die. After about an hour, Kitano gave up on trying to kill her. Etsuko came over to his side.

"Why won't she die?" she whispered.

"I have no idea," he whispered. He looked down at the woman with the bloody head making gurgling noises she as squirmed around on the floor. Something inside of him told him to keep this woman around a little bit longer.

* * *

-Present Day-

Chiharu sat slumped over on her desk. Her eyes looked so vacant. Everything sounded like it was underwater.

"Chi-ha-ru!" someone called. "Chiharu! Chiharu!" The girl rolled her eyes upwards. Masaomi had a curious look on his face.

"You still alive?" he asked. Masaomi pushed on her forehead, trying to get her to sit up.

"Kida?" Chiharu asked. He sat down in front of her.

"You feeling okay?" Masaomi asked. She slowly shook her head.

"I'm just tired," she said. Her words sounded muffled and slurred together. Masaomi neared his eyes.

"You were hyped up this morning," he said. "Is something wrong?" She shook her head again. Day three on her new medication and she didn't know why she was getting worse. Masaomi tilted his head.

"Is it your meds?" he asked. She nodded once. On the first day, her friends wondered why she seemed so hyper.

"Are you okay?" Anri asked.

"Yeah!" Chiharu shouted. She pumped her fist in the air as she broke into laughter. Her eyes turned to her friends looking at her funny.

"I'm fine," she insisted. "Let's just get to school!" Chiharu marched ahead of her friends with worried looks on their faces. By three o'clock, she crashed and boy did she crash hard. The girl didn't even make it to her room when she got home.

Only the ringing of her cell phone stirred her from slumber.

"Hello?" Chiharu asked in a groggy tone.

"Oh good, I'm so glad that you picked up," Shizumu-sensei said on the other line. Chiharu wrinkled her nose.

"Doc?" she asked. "What did you give me?"

"It's just an experimental drug," he assured her. "It's fairly new. I just called to say that your blood work came back clear. There is nothing wrong with your blood."

"Yay," Chiharu muttered. "What about the medicine you gave me?" Shizumu-sensei seemed to hesitate on the other line.

"Let's try this medication for a week and then if you don't see improvement, I'll take you off of it, alright?" Chiharu groaned over the phone.

"Look, I know it's rough, but you can pull through," Shizumu-sensei said. He himself didn't sound too sure about his own words. Chiharu closed her eyes and rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"Fine," she muttered.

"I already had your prescription filled and sent to the pharmacy," the doctor said. "I will keep in touch with you by Friday." Chiharu pushed herself to her feet and straggled back to her room. She thought that she was going to throw up.

* * *

Junko looked at an empty brown bottle and smiled. Meanwhile, Yuka stood in front one of the cages where the angels were kept and sneered.

"What exactly are these things?" she asked. Junko turned to her in her chair.

"They are angels," she said. Yuka turned to her with a confused look on her face.

"Why do you call them that?" I asked. "They look more like monsters." The human-like creature jumped at the cage, hissing. Yuka winced and backed away.

"Now, now," Junko said, wagging her finger. "They used to be human too."

"What?" the intern asked. Even Yayoi had to look up when she heard that. Yui and Naoki stood on the opposite side of the room.

"Is it story time again?" Naoki asked.

"Oh yes," Yui said. Junko cleared her throat.

"They are failed tadpoles," the nurse said. Yuka and Yayoi looked shocked. The nurse smiled and nodded.

"Oh yes," she said.

"But don't failed tadpoles die off?" Yayoi asked.

"Not if there is a genetic mutation in the mix," the nurse said. "The first one was named F. Now, I came to Japan to work with Tandeki in 2004. I wasn't there when F was first born. She kind of died before I moved to this country."

"What do you mean 'kind of'?" Yayoi asked.

"Angels can't die," Junko said. "Well, they can, but they come back to live pretty quickly."

"But why are they called angels?" Yuka asked. "Aren't angels supposed to be pretty?"

"No," Junko said. "These little pets will grow wings." All of the interns' jaws dropped.

"What?!" they asked. The nurse had a devilish grin.

"I am learning more about them myself," she said. "In order to do that, I have to revert F back what she was. But Junko, you say, I thought that F was dead. Oh ho, she is dead. Her body is." Yuka and Yayoi looked just as confused.

"Just go with it," Yui mouthed. Junko held up the little brown bottle.

"Behold!" she said. "I call her Biddy Early. It's just a little toxic I mixed together myself. I got permission from Kitano-sensei and Asato-sensei to use some of their formulas from the Tadpole Project." Junko showed off the little bottle with the name written in pencil on the label.

"Naoki over there helped me fine tune this little mix, of course," she said. The young man with dyed blonde hair bowed.

"What exactly does it do?" Yuka asked.

"Ah, yes," Junko said. "The mix itself will awaken the old cells of F and revert the human shell back to its angel self. Now, such a process will usually take years to complete. But, there is a little help in my corner." She snatched away the bottle and grinned.

"When Ryugamine-kun…" Junko said. She paused when she noticed the confused looks on Yuka and Yayoi's faces.

"You know, Mikado?" she tried again. The two interns still looked like the information was trying to connect in their brains and failing miserably. The nurse sighed and rolled her eyes.  _Would it kill you to learn his real name?_

"I'm sorry, when Chirin talks to her it will speed up the process," she said. The light blubs lit up in Yuka and Yayoi's heads.

"Oh!" Yayoi said.

"But why?" Yuka asked with a curious look on her face. Junko tapped her cheek while smiling.

"Ah, there is a little bit of a chemical mix in a tadpole's breath," she said. "We normal humans can't detect, but it will speed up the process when the saliva particles hit an angel." All of the interns looked impressed. Junko smiled as she drew back the bottle.

"Is there anything else you wanted from me?" she asked.

"Oh," Yuka said. "We were here to check on your progress." The nurse smiled.

"Fine," she said. "It's unfolding just fine."

* * *

-Celty and Shinra's Apartment-

"Okay… begin," Shingen said. He set down a mug on the table. "Move this mug." Mikado reached for it with his right hand.

"Not with your hand," the doctor said. "Move it with your mind."

"With my mind?" the tadpole asked.

"Yes," Shingen said. Mikado looked down at the cup.

"Okay…" he mumbled. He looked at the white mug sitting in front of him. It started to move at first. The mug jiggled back and forth before it started floating up to Shingen. The doctor picked up and took the notes.

"Very good," he said. Emilia stood in the corner, watching the boy with a fixed look. Her cheeks looked light pink as she stared at Mikado's bare chest. Shingen pressed a stethoscope to the boy's heart.

"Breathe," he said. Mikado took in a slow, deep breath.

"Good," the doctor said. He took down more notes. Mikado's eyes shifted back and forth.

"Hey, sensei," he said.

"Hm?" Shingen asked. Mikado shifted in place.

"Could you please look at my friend?" he asked. "I don't think something is right with her." The doctor peered up from his gas mask.

"Is she a tadpole?" he asked.

"No…" Mikado said. Shingen drew back the stethoscope.

"My son will look at her," he said. "I will have to draw some blood now. Are you squeamish?"

"No," the boy said.

"Excellent," the doctor said. He picked up his kit and felt along Mikado's arm for a major vein.

"Is this for checking for changes in our blood?" he asked.

"Yes," Shingen said. "Look upwards for me." Mikado's eyes moved to the ceiling as he felt the needle pierce his skin. He could feel the small amount of blood being drained from his body. The sounds were unsettling, but he fought to keep calm.

"Any other changes you've noticed lately?" Shingen asked. "Be honest with me. I will find out either way." Mikado tried not to look at the needle and the blood drawn.

"I have been able to run faster," he said. "I don't even get tired. My body feels so light when I move." He could already see Tetsu's disapproving face. But what choice did he have? The doctor was right. Nebula had the means of digging for the truth on their own. Might as well come out and say it now. Shingen slowly pulled out the needle.

"Interesting," he said. Mikado couldn't see his phone, but he could hear his thoughts of planning more tests. The boy put on a brave face when the doctor bandaged his arm.

"All done," he said. They went for a couple more tests before they were done for the day. Shingen packed up his kit.

"Thank you for your hard work," he said. Mikado slid on his shirt.

"Why do you do this?" he asked. Shingen turned his head.

"Hm?" he asked.

"Why do you do these tests with us?" the tadpole asked. "What does Nebula want with us?" The doctor gave him a sharp look through his gas mask.

"That is one of the questions we cannot answer as of yet," he answered. Despite being able to hear thoughts, Mikado couldn't figure him out. Did this man get better at hiding his thoughts? Emilia quickly shifted her eyes away from the boy as he got dressed.

"We will call you in two weeks," Shingen said.

"Yes," Mikado said. He bowed and walked out of the apartment. Masaomi waited outside for him.

* * *

Tatsuya looked at the small brown bottle as he sat at the kitchen table.

"What exactly is this?" he asked. Chiharu sat across from him with bags under her eyes.

"Some tonic the doctor gave me a couple of days ago," she said. Her brother raised his eyebrow.

"Is it even helping?" he asked.

"It helps me sleep," she said. "I feel great in the morning."

"But?" Tatsuya asked. Chiharu frowned.

"The time between crashes are getting shorter," she said. "The headaches get worse and I can barely eat." She dropped her head down on the table.

"I don't think you should be taking it anymore," Tatsuya said.

"Huh?" she asked with her face to the table. The teenaged girl peeked out from her arms.

"I'm serious," he said. "If this drug is making you sick, stop taking it. It's clearly making the problem worse."

"But what do I do?" Chiharu asked. "If I get off, I will get sick again. What am I supposed to do?" Tatsuya sighed.

"I think we're going to have to go get a second opinion," he said. "For now, stop taking this."

"But…" she said.

"Stop taking it," Tatsuya said in stern voice. Chiharu groaned with her face to the table.

"Fine," she said.

"Good," he said. "Pour them down the sink and throw them away. Do you understand me? Look up and say that you understand me." Chiharu didn't move at first.

"Look up and say that you understand me," Tatsuya repeated. His sister slowly lifted her head.

"Understood," she said. Chiharu sounded like she had too much to drink. Her brother nodded once.

"Good," Tatsuya said. He picked up the small bottle. "I'm going to take this by my friend's research lab to get this tested tomorrow to see what's in this stuff. You should not be taking something that could end up killing you." Chiharu rubbed her forehead. She didn't care anymore. She just wanted to go to sleep—again.


	7. Kyoei

Halo Six: Kyoei:

[ _I am Kyoei, the vanity dragon. Like what you see? My body is covered in many mirrors. I am the most beautiful dragon ever. Okay, my brothers are just as beautiful as I am. Together, we make the skies that much more appealing. But alas, we are short one brother. He's still locked away in the sixth gate. We are powerless to go and free him. All we can do is fly over the city feeling incomplete. But, Ikebukuro looks so much more active as usual. The demons below are sure spicing things up._ ]

-Aoba and Kururi-

"Are you doing it right?" Kururi asked as she looked down at her right foot in Aoba's hand. He sighed as he painted another coat of dark blue on the big toenail.

"Keep your foot still," Aoba complained. He frozen as he glanced up to see his royal highness glaring at him.

"Please?" he was quick to ask. Kururi perked up. The girl posse all sat around in her room. Two of them were texting back and forth to each other.

"Hey, Kurui," Tsukiyama said. "There's a party Shinjuku tonight."

"Really?" the queen bee said with a cat like smile. "Girls, we're going out tonight!" Her friends squealed in delight. Aoba rolled his eyes.  _Another party, great…_  His mind went back to the discovery about how Mairu died in utero in this timeline.

"Tell me what happened," Aoba pleaded with Izaya.

"What do you say?" the information broker asked on the leather couch. Aoba frowned and puffed up his cheeks.

"Really?" he asked.

"Hey, say it or you will get nothing," Izaya said. Aoba glared at him as he dropped his shoulders.

"Please?" he asked. Izaya sat back and shrugged.

"Years ago, dad took mom with him on a business trip," he said. "Mom was about four months pregnant with my sisters at the time. By day three, mom started to bleed down there. Dad took her to the nearest hospital. She suffered a miscarriage. Mom and dad were heartbroken, of course."

"Miscarriage?" Aoba asked. "But…" Izaya held up his hand.

"I'm not done," he said. The boy closed his mouth.

"Thank you," Izaya said. "The doctors suggested that she have a dilation and cutterage surgery done. Everything had been scheduled. But on the week mom was going to have it done, the doctor found a heartbeat. He suggested that she still have the procedure, but it would be an abortion. They said that Kururi-chan would be brain dead at best. That she would need extensive care around the clock. She could be disabled and ruin our lives. But, mom refused to do it. She didn't care, she just wanted to precious baby." He looked rather angry, at least only a second, before calming down.

"Anyway, Kururi was born healthy," he said, handling Aoba the hospital files he had been digging up for weeks. "The doctors all called it a miracle. But our sister died in the womb." The boy looked at the files for himself. Izaya looked to be telling the truth. The information broker looked up at the ceiling.

"Anything else you want to know about my family?" he asked.

"No," Aoba said. He turned and walked out of Izaya's office.

"You remember that still owe for my hard work, remember?" the information broker asked after him. That only made the boy walk out of the office even faster.

Remembering those words made Aoba shiver.

"Aoba-kun!" Kururi shouted in present day. "Don't get nail polish on the carpet! I just had it cleaned this morning!"

"Huh? Oh, sorry about that," Aoba said. He went back to finishing his 'girlfriend's' toenails.

"Thinking about that invisible sister again?" Tsukiyama asked. The girls giggled as Aoba's face turned red.

[ _The poor miniature king is trapped in a hell his mate has created. As her friend laugh at his misery, he plans to try and get his lover's twin sister back. Only, he doesn't know how to and has to deal with the hell that his love built. Now, he also has to pay back her brother in some way for his services._ ]

* * *

-Tadpoles-

Around noon, Shingen invited the tadpoles out to the park. He gave them exact directions for today's tests. Only wear gym clothes and sneakers. His test subjects looked just as confused as they stood waiting in the park.

"Why are we out here in gym clothes?" Anzu asked.

"I haven't worn this since high school," Megumi said as she tugged on her shirt.

"I don't like this," Tetsu said. A white van pulled up to the tadpoles standing around, waiting. Shingen and Emilia stepped of the vehicle. The older doctor pulled out a huge crate of items. Tetsu floated his arms across his chest.

"What are you all up to now?" he asked. "Why the hell are we in gym clothes?" Shingen set the crate down on the ground.

"We're to have mini-sports day," he said simply.

"What?!" the other tadpole asked.

"W-Why?" Mikado asked.

"To test the new augmentation in your bodies," Shingen answered. He and his wife began settling up the obstacle course.

"The object will be like your typical sports day at your schools," Shingen explained. "You're just going to complete ten challenge and my wife Emilia will time you." The field researcher pulled out a small black stopwatch. She already had a whistle around her neck. A collective groan filled the air.

"Come on," he said. "Aren't you curious about what all you can do now?" The tadpoles didn't speak. Somehow, this crazy doctor knew how to strike deep when needed.

"So what if we do?" Tetsu asked.

"Again with the questions, Aso?" Shingen asked. "Look, these tests will be easy and they won't take long. The sooner we get finished, the sooner you can leave, got it?" Again, the tadpoles didn't speak.

"Okay," he said, breathing out. So, the tadpole sports' day began. First, they had stretch to get ready. Shingen had them do push-ups, sit-ups, long jump, crunches, lifting small weights, throwing a basketball, kicking a soccer ball, hitting a baseball, and two types of running. The couple tested the tadpoles on strength, speed, and endurance. Emilia had her jaw to the ground the whole time. Shingen couldn't keep him with their movement with his eyes before the gas mask.

"Impressive," he said. It looks like Nebula might be right about these tadpoles. The test subjects weren't tired and didn't even break a sweat. Shingen cleared his throat.

"Thank you for your time," he said. "You are free to go. We will be in touch."

[ _My brothers and I don't have much to say about these tadpoles. They really are starting to stand out more and more each day. Some demons already hate them. They might even want them dead. Still there are even some that want to push them to stand out._ ]

* * *

-Minami Naoki-

I have always been an asshole. I do not like people touching me. I don't try to touch them either. I have my reasons. Those will become clear eventually.

I am in my second year of grad school. I didn't care in the beginning, I just did to make my parents happy. They seemed to be concerned about me. They kept trying to push me to be more "normal" in their eyes. I just shrugged it off and went along with it.

I unlocked my apartment door.

"I'm home," I muttered. I don't see the point. I live alone anyway. Well, there was a maid, but I fired her. I took off my shoes and walked into my apartment. I didn't expect to be doing much today. I walked over to my desk and started on my homework. I grew up rich. My family and I never had to worry about money. They made sure that I had the best in life. With the best comes expectations. I didn't mind it at first. As long as I got attention, I would be fine. My parents, grandparents, and teachers showered me in it. When I got older, they expected me to have the perfect grades and to be on my best behavior.

Pretty soon, I got bored.

I just closed off everyone around me and just did my work just to keep them off my back. It's been like this ever since. After that one incident when I was eight, it got worse.

I clicked my pen and turned the page. Thinking about that incident now makes me angry. That bastard stole my life and stuck me with this power. I've tried to limit myself to only using it for good people. After that, we cannot touch again.

I was working on page fifty-six of my English workbook when my phone rang. It's probably Ayumi, grandma, or mom calling to check on me again. Aside from my problems from that incident, I'm fine. They don't seem to be convinced by that, however. Time to humor them for a little bit. I groaned and reached over for my phone. A confused look waved over my face. Heh? I do not recognize the number. I've answered unknown caller before and that bastard's voice has filled my ears. I shouldn't answer it again. I really shouldn't…

"Hello?" I asked.

"Is this… Minami Naoki?" a woman's voice asked. I narrowed my eyes.

"Why?" I asked. I could hear whispering in the background of the other line. It sounded like two people, a teenage boy and a woman, telling the caller what to say.

"My name's Fukao Megumi," the caller said. "Does the name Chou Mori ring any bells to you?" The color drained from my face when those words hit my eardrums. I saw a vision of this conversation when I had an episode in my school library. But it still shocked me.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"Yeah, we've all been victims too," Megumi said. "Listen, can we meet up somewhere? We don't want to hurt you. We just want to find the others and talk."

"Why should I even trust you?" I asked. "You could be working with that bastard to lure me into a trap." I could hear more whispering over the phone.

"Who's that with you?" I asked.

"Minami-san?" another woman asked.

"Now who is this?" I asked.

"My name is Naomi," she said. "Just want to help each other out through this mess. Please let us help you." I looked at my phone and frowned.

"Fine, whatever," I muttered.

"Where do you want to meet?" Naomi asked.

"There is a library near my apartment," I said. "I will send you the directions."

"Thank you," she said.

"Whatever," I muttered. I hung up, turned off my phone, and went back to my schoolwork. Why did I do that? Old habit, I guess.

* * *

-Izaya and Mari-

"How long has your computer been like this?" Izaya asked.

"Weeks," Mari said. They both stared at her laptop on her desk. Yoemon-sensei's face stared at them, smiling like a possessed cat.

"I can't turn it off," Mari said. Izaya waved his hand in front of the screen.

"There is something else," his sex buddy said. The information broker turned his head as she pulled out her phone. Mari pulled up the e-mail. Izaya took the phone and looked at the screen. The address came from the dead professor. Yoemon-sensei must have scheduled the message to send as soon as Mari cleared the second level of the Dis Program. The message only contained a video attachment. Izaya tapped the screen. In the video, Yoemon-sensei sat in a dark room with a light on his face. His pushed up his glasses.

"Hello, Otomo-chan," the late professor said. "If you are getting this message, that means you have cleared the second level of the Dis Program. You are wondering why you see my face on your laptop. Don't worry, I just loaded my consciousness into the program. It's going to spy on your computer or anything. If you are curious about what all the Dis and I can do, you have to keep decoding the program. May the odds smile upon you." Izaya looked over at Mari's laptop. Yoemon-sensei's face that much creepier. Mari shivered and closed the laptop lid.

[ _She can't hide from the dead professor's eyes. He's holding her laptop hostage. But, this is only the beginning. The more she decodes, the more he takes over. So why doesn't she stop? Well, there is her mother spying on her progress, so…_ ]

* * *

-Ryoko and Harley-

Meanwhile, the demons were adjusting to their new bodies. Once Harley settled in, she began her search. What she was looking, she wasn't too clear herself. She spotted an office lady with long dark brown hair in a ponytail dressed up in a dress suit. The woman walked around as this was her first time in high heels. Harley tilted her head.

"Is that…?" she asked. The gang leader ran over to the office lady.

"Itami?" she asked. The office lady froze and looked up.

"Harley?" she asked. "Is that you?" The gang leader smiled and turned around.

"You like?" she asked. "This vessel was about to die in the middle of a gang fight. So, I just jumped right in." Itami whistled.

"Impressive!" she said.

"Thanks," Harley said. She tilted her head. "And you… what's with that vessel? You usually go after men. Did you want to try something different?" Itami threw back her head and groaned.

"This wasn't my first choice," she said. "Her boyfriend got killed by some monster. So, I killed the monster and took over this vessel."

"It looks great on you," Harley said out of sympathy. The possessed woman glared at her.

"Shut up!" she snapped. Her face turned so red. Harley smiled.

"So, what is your vessel called?" she asked.

"Ryoko," the office lady said. "Kita Ryoko."

"Ah," Harley said.

[ _They are just starting to love this world. I can't do the same until our final brother is here. It will only be a matter of time._ ]

* * *

-Hospital-

A man walked up into the hospital. He ran to the front desk with a shifty look on his face. The receptionist recoiled but kept a professional look on her face.

"Can I… help you?" she asked. The man slammed his hands down onto the desk.

"I need to see a doctor!" he said.

"Okay…" she said. "Please take a seat, sir."

"It's not me!" the man shouted. "It's for my wife! It's really bad! Please can't you help her?" The receptionist stared at him with big eyes.

"O… Okay… Please take a seat and I will call someone," she said. The man shook but walked over to waiting area and took a seat. The receptionist called up one of the first available doctors. Meanwhile, the man started biting on his thumb as he thought back to his wife's detonating condition.  _This is not normal. This is not normal. This is not normal!_

He tightly shut his eyes as his stomach turned.

* * *

-Chiharu-

Chiharu looked down at the toilet with the small brown bottle in her hand. She twisted open the lid and was about to pour the liquid in. But then, she froze. Chiharu knew what she had to do, but she just wanted the pain to stop.

She shut her eyes and drew back the open bottle. Chiharu walked out of the bathroom.


	8. Rokuyo

Halo Seven: Rokuyo:

Another six days would push more things forward into Tandeki's twisted game. They seemed so mundane too. But they would cause a splash into increasing the damage of the security surrounding Ikebukuro.

-Monday-

Around three in the afternoon, Etsuko got a call from her office.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Asato-sensei," Aya said on the other line. "I have a bit of a request to ask you."

"What would that be?" Etsuko asked.

"You see, there is a certain patient of mine that needs an exorcism," the therapist said. The doctor had a puzzled look on her face.

"And what does this have to do with me?" she asked. "Shouldn't it be dealt with you and the other therapists?"

"That's the thing," Aya said. "Grandma interfered."

"Oh no."

"Yeah."

"Let me guess, she thinks that the woman is possessed and wants an exorcism performed on her daughter-in-law?"

"Ding-ding!"

Etsuko groaned and rubbed her forehead. "Why are there still people who think mental illness is demon possession? What do you think is the problem?"

"Ah, judging by everything we have seen around the city, I can't be too sure. Just listen to what the man has to say."

"And why do you need me for this charade?"

Aya sighed over the other end. "Because a doctor has to be present for this exorcism."

"That bad, huh?"

"Yes."

Etsuko sighed and rubbed her forehead again. "I will see what I can do you."

"Thank you. I sent him by your way. He should be by the hospital shortly. Junko is also coming along for back-up. At least she has some uses for something."

"You're welcome." Etsuko hung up and rose from her desk.

* * *

Etsuko made her way out into the waiting room. Sure enough, the receptionist called her about a patient seeking help for his wife. The doctor found a man dressed in a t-shirt and jeans tapping his foot.

"Is that him?" Etsuko whispered to the receptionist.

"Yes, ma'am," she whispered back.

"Thank you," the doctor said. Etsuko walked over to the nervous man. "Excuse me, sir." The man looked up with giant eyes.

"Are you a doctor?" he asked.

"Yes," she said. "What seems to be the problem?" The man quickly looked around before lowering his eyes.

"It's my wife," he said in a low voice.

"What about her?" Etsuko asked. The man started biting on his hand again.

"Can we go somewhere private and talk?" he asked.

"Sure," the doctor said. She led him to her office.

* * *

The man sat down in front of Etsuko's desk.

"Describe what happened to your wife," she said. "When did this happen?"

"Eight weeks ago, I woke up to my wife sitting in the corner, biting on her thumb, mumbling to herself," he said. "I asked her what was wrong, but she didn't answer. My wife is usually a happy and active person. Now, she won't even leave her house."

"Are you sure it isn't a psychological break down?" Etsuko asked.

"Yes!" the man said. "She's been locked up in her room for weeks from that moment on. My wife couldn't eat. Every time, I tried to give her a meal, she would end up throwing it back up. But, she was still so hungry. Her body got weaker, but the hunger got stronger. All of the doctors in this district didn't know what was wrong. And then…"

"Go on…" the doctor said. The man shivered as he grabbed onto his right arm.

"A couple of nights ago," he said. "I woke up to hearing chomping noises. We didn't have any pets and I had the door locked when I went to bed. Confused, I got out of bed and followed the sound down to the kitchen. Half-asleep, I found my wife sitting in front of the open fridge. I called her name, but she didn't hear me. It donned on me that she was eating raw meat. I tried to stop her, but…" The man rolled up his right sleeve.

"She jumped at me and clawed at my arm," he said. "My wife screamed at me like a wild animal. She was cursing at me looking like a wild demon. After that attack, I had her committed here."

"Wait… When did this happen?" Etsuko asked.

"She's been transferred from hospital to hospital because she would attack the staff," he said. "They had to strap her down she started biting on her arm." The doctor rubbed her forehead. Clearly, Aya didn't tell her everything about this case.

"And your mother is convinced this is demonic possession?" Etsuko asked.

"Yes," he said.

"And what do you think?" the doctor asked. The man rubbed his hair.

"I don't care anymore!" he shouted. "I just want my wife back!" Etsuko gently shushed him.

"It's okay," she said. "We will try our best."

"Thank you," the man said in a whisper before lowering his head.

* * *

The following is the exorcism of Patient Ma. Names have been withheld to protect the family. The details are still a bit hazy to say in the least bit.

-7:00 p.m.-

The Buddhist priest set up the camera.

"What is that for?" Junko asked.

"To document everything for future teachings," the priest said. Aya shot her a glare for asking such a question. Etsuko was prepared to break them up if they started fighting again. The small consisted of the priest, Patient Ma, Etsuko, Aya, Junko, the priest's assistant, and nurse Joe Brooker. The husband waited in the hallway. The possessed patient lay strapped down in her bed. Already, she started growling and panting.

"I will need you all to stay back," the priest said. "Understood?"

"Yes," the witnesses said.

"Okay," the priest said. "Are you ready?"

"Yes," the witnesses answered. The priest and his assistant walked over to the growling woman.

"Alright," the old man said. "Let us begin."

Eight hours.

This exorcism lasted for eight hours. The priest and his assistant began chanting and throwing salt on Patient Ma. The demon inside of her howled loud enough to shake the empty ward. The husband tried to run into the room, Aya pushed him back.

"Don't come in here," she said. "Just let them work."

"But…" he said. Aya pushed him back out of the room. The priest went back to work. Sweat began to form on his brow. His assistant fought to stay focused. At first, it started to get quiet. Patient Ma just lay on her bed in her restraints.

"Sensei…" the assistant said. The priest held out his arm.

"Wait," he said. Patient Ma started laughing. She really did sound like a demon from hell.

"Fools!" the woman shouted. "Do you really think you can get rid of me? I would love to see you try! You can't get rid of me! We are already here!" The Tandeki women raised their eyebrows.

"What do you mean we?" the priest asked. Patient Ma didn't answer. Instead, she turned her head to Junko.

"Ah, dear Chiba-chan!" she said. "How is mommy doing? Yes, she ran away after she caught your dad in the arms of that woman. I wouldn't blame her for ending their lives right there in that office!" The nurse gritted her teeth.

"That's not true," she hissed. "That's not true!" Etsuko had to hold her back.

"Don't let him get to you," the doctor said. Patient Ma shrugged in her bindings.

"Heh," she said. The possessed woman turned to Joe standing in the doorway. The English nurse shivered with big eyes. It all happened so fast that the priest didn't have time to notice it. The only thing anyone noticed was Joe freezing up and fainting to the floor.

"Brooker!" Etsuko yelled, running over to the nurse. Patient Ma just collapsed back onto the bed with her eyes wide open. The assistant put his fingers to her neck.

"She's dead," he said.

"What?" Aya asked. Etsuko shook Joe while calling her name. The priest looked around at the scene, shaking his head before turning off the camera.

The story won't end there.

* * *

-Tuesday-

-10:00 a.m.-

Minami Naoki looked at his phone. Where were those women who wanted to talk to him so badly? How did they even manage to track him down? He already had that creepy therapist calling him to check on his "progress" during each experiment. Did Naoki really need these women claiming to be like him wanting to talk to him too?

He looked around the McDonalds he was sitting in. He sat near the window so the women could see him. Good there were still people around left over from the morning rush. At least then they couldn't try and pull anything on him. Naoki sighed.

_They need to hurry up and get this over with._  He rolled his eyes. But then, Naoki's felt a shock rush down his spine as he froze. He slowly turned his head. Two women stood at the McDonalds entrance, looking as frozen as him.

_It's them._  Naoki quickly waved his arm in the air. The woman in the pink sweater spotted him and nudged the woman in the short-sleeve lavender shirt to look up. The women hurried over to him. Naoki put up his hands.

"You found me," he said. Megumi kind of smiled.

"You're kind of cute," she said. Naoki rolled his eyes.

"Whatever," he muttered.

"Not very friendly, are you? Megumi asked.

"May we sit down?" Naomi asked. Naoki just shrugged her off. Naomi took a seat on the opposite side of him followed by Megumi.

"We are like you," Naomi spoke up. "Let me show you." She picked up a salt pack and opened it. The tadpole spilled it on the table and put her finger to the salt.

"What are you doing?" Naoki asked.

"Shhh," Megumi whispered. The little gains of salt transformed into sand. The newer tadpole covered his mouth. Naomi drew back her finger and wiped away the blood from her nose.

"I change the elements in different objects," she said. Naoki looked down at the sand and touched it himself.

"It really is sand," he said. He looked up at the women.

"What can you do?" he asked Megumi.

"I kill people through sex," she admitted in a quiet voice. "Sometimes, enslave them before."

"Oh…" Naoki muttered. He tried to back away from her. Megumi threw back her head and groaned.

"Relax, I'm not going to sleep with you," she said.

"Besides, we can't use our powers on each other," Naomi said.

"Ah," Naoki said.

"What can you do?" Megumi asked. He closed his fist in his lap.

"Pick someone," Naoki mumbled.

"What for?" Naomi asked.

"Pick someone so that I can show you," he said.

"Okay," Megumi said. "Why not him?" Naoki turned to see a salaryman talking loudly on the phone at the counter.

"Alright," he said. He walked over to the man and tapped him on the shoulder. His target looked up and they chatted for a short time. Then, Naoki departed from the man and looked around for a moment. He spotted a college freshman girl sitting alone, crying over her food while she ate. Naoki walked over and tapped her on the shoulder. They talked for a little bit before Naoki returned back to his booth.

"What did you just do?" Naomi asked.

"I just took some of that guy's luck and gave it to that girl over there," he answered, pointing to the respective people he was talking about. The women gave him stunned looks.

"Just like that?" Megumi asked.

"Yeah," Naoki said. "It's why I don't like to touch people." Naomi gave him a gentle smile.

"We can take you to people who can help you," she said. Naoki gave her a strange look.

"Why should I trust you?" he asked.

"What choice you have?" Megumi asked. "We're all in the same boat, buddy." Naoki just sat there and frowned.

* * *

-Wednesday-

-9:00 a.m.-

Yuka stood by her place next to the Heartseed plant while Kitano and Etsuko sat in a room behind a two-way mirror. This would be the last round of the interns and their augmentation experiments until further notice. It made Yuka feel a little sad inside. But, there would be more chances for experiments on their beloved tadpoles.

"You may begin the experiment," Kitano said over his microphone.

"Good afternoon, everyone," Yuka said. "My name is Ogawa Yuka and I will be conducting the fifth and final addition of the augmentations to the test subjects in this round." She waited for a brief moment before resuming.

"Last time Iseki -san gave us his drug," she said. "Who's next?" Mei stepped forward.

"I am," she said.

"What do you have for us today?" Yuka asked. Mei pushed her black bangs from her glasses as she reached into her shirt pocket.

"These right here," she said. Mei handed a small orange bottle to her fellow intern Yuka turned the bottle around as she tried to look inside.

"And what is this?" she asked.

"This one is called Heracles," Mei said in a low voice.

"What?" the other intern asked.

"Heracles," Mei repeated.

"Right. And how many pills do I give each test subject?" Yuka asked.

"One," the other intern said.

"Okay," Yuka said. "Our final drug that will be administered into the augmentation experiment has been given to us by Aihara Mei whom has named her drug Heracles." Yuka twisted the plastic white bottle cap. Everyone watched as each little flower was fed a brown pill. Yuka stepped back when the last flower closes.

"And now, we wait," she said. The Heartseed glowed a bright brown. Yuka kept her eyes solely on the plant, wondering when the next experiment will take place.

* * *

Emilia was running the usual tests on the tadpoles' blood samples when a notice popped up on her laptop. She clicked on the small box and read the message.

"Dear!" she shouted. "They are at it again!" Emilia ran out of the lab to look for Shingen. She found him next door.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Tandeki!" Emilia said. "They've started another experiment on the tadpoles!" Her husband ran after her into the lab. He too saw the notice on her laptop.

"Good work, honey," he said. Emilia kissed him on the cheek. Shingen got on the phone to plan out the next experiment to see what the tadpoles could do now.

Meanwhile, the tadpoles already started to feel the changes.

* * *

-Thursday-

It looked like it was going to be a quiet day. Satoru was still looking around for his sister. He walked up to different strangers and ask if they had seen her. The answer would come back as no. Still, he wouldn't give up.

Elsewhere, Mari stared at her laptop. Yoemon-sensei's consciousness had taken over in a matter of three days. She couldn't do much of anything on it than to decode that damned Dis Program. Sure, he needed her to turn on the laptop, but he took over everything from there. The dead professor looked at her from the screen and smiled.

"Aw, what's the matter?" the old man asked. "Why are you so afraid of me?" Mari shivered as she looked at the screen. She assumed that he could see her via webcam above the screen. Her hands inched towards the keyboard.

"You creep me out," Mari typed.

"Aw, I don't mean to," Yoemon-sensei said. "Let's be working friends." Mari blinked.

"Working friends?"

"Why not? You and I will be working together to cure Ikebukuro of its cancer."

"What are you talking about? I never wanted to do any of this. I'm just a programmer."

"Which is what makes you perfect for this game."

"I never wanted to be part of this game in the first place!"

"Then why do you stay with your mother?"

Mari froze over her keyboard. She wanted to type that it was because she wanted to stay by Aya, but the more that thought about it, the more she wasn't so sure anymore. She drew back her hand. Yoemon-sensei gave her a sympathetic look.

"Look," the later professor said. "I understand how lonely you are. With this new world, all of your pain and loneliness can all go away." But, she's heard this before. Mari already knew what the outcome of the game could lead to. She just shook her head.

"I'm just tired," Mari typed. She turned off the monitor and walked out of the room before Yoemon-sensei could respond.

* * *

-Friday-

-11:25 a.m.-

Tatsuya waited in the public library. As soon as he learned what was in Chiharu's medication, he could find a better way to get her off of it. He looked at his phone.

"Come on," he muttered. "Please hurry up, this is urgent." He glanced up when he heard footsteps rushing to his table. A woman about his age with black pigtails and matching black-framed glasses stood in front of his table.

"I'm sorry I'm late," she said. "Lab ran over time today." Tatsuya put away his phone.

"It's okay, Ikemi," he said. "What do you have?" Ikemi sat down in front of him and reached into her bag. She set down the file in front of him. Tatsuya opened it and read the data.

"I've never seen anything like it," Ikemi said. "The formula from the traces inside the bottle is rather complex. Most of these ingredients are illegal and hard to come by almost everywhere. Whoever created this cocktail would have to have had years to learn about how to create something like this."

"I see," he said.

"Where did your sister get this medicine?" his friend asked.

"Her doctor gave it to her," Tatsuya said.

"And where did he get it?"

"I have no idea."

Ikemi made a face as she narrowed her. "And you told her stop?"

"Yes." Tatsuya didn't sound too certain when he gave his answer.

"Well then," she said. "All I can tell you is to be careful." Tatsuya nodded once.

"Well do," he said. The friends parted ways.

* * *

-Saturday-

The little girl with the long red hair and scar over her right eye wondered around as made her way into the city. She took in the different sensations at her little bare feet. She first stepped on sand when she woke up in that empty playground. It felt so rough, so coarse at her little toes, but she enjoyed it. The little girl couldn't help but smile. Next came the grass. Oh so cool, so soft. It quickly became her favorite thing to step on. She would love to step on grass every chance that she got. Mud became her second favorite thing to step on. Walking on dirt wasn't as rough as walking on sand. Now, the little girl was walking on pavement. She wasn't sure about how she felt about that one.

But, the little girl wasn't focused on that at the moment.

She seemed to be looking around for something. Or someone. Many people noticed her, but she seemed to be lost in her own world. The little girl just kept walking.

She made into the city by nightfall. The little girl walked through with eyes on her. She wasn't used to the bright lights and loud noises around her. The poor child broke down whining as turned down into a darkened alley. She took in slow, heavy breaths. The girl closed her good eye. She could feel her little heart beating against her chest.

But then, the child heard a loud chomping noise in the darkness.

The little girl opened her good eye and slowly turned her head. She followed the noise down the alley. She came a man in rags huddled over torn trash bag. The chomping started like a wild animal. The little girl stood on her tip toes quietly walked closer. Something inside of her warned her not to get closer. She should turn around and run away.

But then, she stepped into a puddle left over from last night's rain.

The man whipped his head around. He was blue from head to toe with empty black eyes. This man had no hair on his head or face. Blood covered his face as he had his claws buried in rotting meat. The man opened his mouth and hissed. The blood on his fangs made the girl's eyes, even the scarred one, grow wide.

She turned around and ran.


	9. 4:44 a.m

Halo Eight: 4:44 a.m.:

The paranormal was split on the tadpoles. Some of them hate them and want them dead because they defy the natural order. Others want to see what they can do for their own sick amusement. Either way, the tadpoles can't win in this game.

_We are Watching You_

The tadpoles got a little e-mail around 4:44 a.m. Most of them wouldn't get this until sunrise.

Midori awoke to her phone buzzing. She didn't stir until it hit the floor. The time tadpole grumbled as she felt around for her phone. It didn't help that she had to try and sleep when she could hear every sound in the city at night. Who the hell would be texting her at this insane hour?

Midori became even more puzzled when she looked at the screen. The e-mail came from an address she didn't recognize.

"What is this?" she asked. The tadpole went into her inbox. Most of the messages looked normal from her medical school and friends she hadn't heard from in years. But there was that top one. The address was withheld, and it came at 4:44 a.m. The subject line read: Open Me! Midori's stomach turned. She's heard the urban legend of strange things happening around this time. She should be deleting this. She really should.

Against her better judgement, Midori opened the message. What she read made her blood run cold.

I know what you all are. You can't hide from us. You are now the performs for our entertainment. Do not try to get out our demands. We will make you comply.

WE ARE WATCHING YOU!

Midori threw her phone across the room in shock.

* * *

_DeathVine_

Aoi was woken up by the light from a laptop screen.

"What the hell?" she mumbled to herself. The college student sat up and saw Satsu at her laptop again. Aoi groaned and threw back her head.

"Babe?" she asked. Satsu didn't answer. Aoi crawled out of bed and walked over to her partner.

"Are you watching that creepy stuff again?" she complained. Satsu turned her head. She smiled with bags under her eyes.

"Oh, hey honey," she said. Aoi looked at the screen and frowned.

"Again?" she asked. "This is starting to become a problem." Satsu gave her a little pout.

"I'm still here," she said. "You haven't lost me." Aoi trembled. Her girlfriend always said this when she asked questions about her Death Vine habits. Many times, Aoi wondered if she should speak up. Satsu tiled her head.

"Is there something wrong?" she asked. Her girlfriend was about to open her mouth when something the screen caught her eye.

"What is that?" she asked. Satsu looked at her laptop screen.

"Ah, there's a new video posted," she said. "Let's see. 'You Will Never Find Me'?" Satsu clicked on the thumbnail of a person holding up a sign saying, "You will never find me."

The video started off along a dark highway. A person dressed in a grey hoodie, dark jeans, and white gloves walked down the road with their back to the camera. The sound came out as muffled. The footage cuts to a car in an abandoned field. The camera looks inside to see what appears to be body covered in a sheet. The gloved hand reached over to sheet and pulled it down to reveal the face. The body looked like an old man with his head leaned back with his mouth wide open. The footage jumped again.

"What is this?" Aoi asked.

"Shhh," Satsu whispered. The women went back to the video. The footage went back to the road. It started raining right away. The sound still came off muzzled. The man turned, but his face was covered in a white mask and shades. It only lasted for a second. Suddenly, the footage became grainy with wavy lines. The next image jumped to what appeared to be a house. Everything was dark just like the rest of the video. This time, there was night vision. Another body had a white sheet over it. Only, the figure seemed to twitch underneath.

"Are you seeing this? Satsu asked. The person had a bat in their hand and smacked the body. One… Two… Three… Four… Five… Twelve.

The final image was of the person holding up a sign at the camera. "I killed them." The person held up another sign.

"You will never find me," it said. The video ended, waiting to be played again. Aoi and Satsu turned to each other. They quickly called the police. Upload time? 4:44 a.m.

* * *

_The Photograph_

Days ago, a member of the Yellow Scarves found a strange photo outside of a karaoke place. It was of a man holding a little girl in his arms. The man looked ordinary with his white t-shirt and jeans. The little girl, assumingly his daughter, wore a yellow dress with a matching knit hat. She held in her left arm a brown teddy bear. The child held up a V-sign. The young gangster asked around the city who the family was. Nobody had a clue.

"Where did you find that?" Masaomi asked.

"Just outside of the karaoke place, boss," the boy said.

"Right…" the leader said with suspicion in his voice. The other boy wouldn't stop his search for the little girl and the man in the picture.

However in the late hours of the night, the young gangster was woken up by the sound of a child laughing outside his window. He woke up and turned on his phone. The gangster noticed the shadow of a child against his wall. He walked over to the window and looked out. Kind of stupid because he lived on the top floor of his apartment. Either way, he couldn't see anything outside. He heard the child giggling again behind him. The boy turned and saw that shadow passing over his wall again. It had to be coming from outside somehow. By the time the gangster made it outside, there was nobody outside.

* * *

The next night, the gangster boy sat up on his bed. This time, he had the picture in his hand. Was it the ghost of the girl in the photo that he saw? There would only be one way to see.

As expected, he heard that same child's laughter in his room. The gangster boy looked up and saw the shadow of a child cast across the room. He leapt off of his bed and ran out of his room. The Yellow Scarf boy made it as far as the road about four blocks from his apartment before he was hit by a truck as was killed instantly. The time was 4:44 a.m.

When the police investigated the scene of the accident, they found the photograph in the young man's hand. Only, the little girl was holding up three fingers this time.

* * *

_Stranger at the Door_

Arisa has taken to sleeping in Goro's room at nights. Her son didn't seem to be enjoying this at all.

"Why do you have to sleep in my room?" Goro complained tonight.

"I do this to keep you safe," the nurse said. It didn't help that she had to move the baby into the room as well. Goro folded his arms across his chest.

"I'm almost eleven years old!" he said. "I don't need to sleep in your bed anymore."

"Do not argue with me!" Arisa yelled. Her voice trembled as her body did. Goro stared at her with big eyes.

"O-Okay…" he muttered. The nurse pulled him into a big hug.

"I'm so sorry, baby!" she said. "I just can't lose you. I can't! I just can't!" Goro gave her a strange look as he hugged her back.

* * *

All three of them slept in his room. Goro and Arisa slept in the same futon together. The nurse moved the baby's crib into her son's room. She held Goro like a teddy bear. Two years ago, Arisa had to kick him out of her bed.

"You're told old to be sleeping in my bed now," she said. "You are a big boy now. You can sleep on your own." Now, here they were all asleep in his room. Couldn't they at least sleep in her room? That one was bigger. Still, he understood why she did this. He just wished that she would cut back a bit. No point to worry about it. The little boy closed his eyes and went to sleep.

* * *

In the wee hours of the morning, Goro woke up. He heard what sounded like an old lady whispering to him.

_Goro-kun. Goro-kun. Goro-kun. Goro-kun._

The little boy lifted his head. The room was still dark. But, the voice still persisted.

_Goro-kun. Goro-kun. Goro-kun. Goro-kun._

As if in a trance, the boy pushed himself out of his mother's grasp and crawled out of the futon. Goro walked out of the room with empty eyes. The voice lured him out into the living room. He stood in front of the door covered in charms.

_Goro-kun, let us play. Open the door. Let me in!_

Goro's hand slowly inched towards the doorknob. The heavily breathing outside wasn't enough to wake him out of his trance.

"Goro-kun, don't!" Arisa cried behind. The little boy came to and turned to see his mother running towards him. The nurse grabbed him as fast as she could.

"Go away!" she yelled at the door. "I will not let you take my children! Go away, you monster!" The darkness became silent, but Arisa didn't dare to move. Goro could feel her heart panting against his back. He wanted to speak but kept quiet thinking she would shush him. A few minutes, the nurse calmed down, but she wouldn't let go of her son.

"This is why I sleep in your room," Arisa said at last. "Until I can make them stop, your sister and I will sleep in the same room."

"Can we least sleep in your room?" Goro asked.

"Yes," his mother said. This all took place at 4:44 a.m.

* * *

_E-Mails_

The next morning just before her first class, Midori got another e-mail. Just like the last one, it arrived at 4:44 a.m. The address of the sender was deleted and there was no subject line. Again against her better judgement, she opened the e-mail. What she saw horrified her.

"What's the matter, Amano-san?" a voice asked. Midori jerked her head upwards. A round face leaned in within inches of hers. The tadpole blinked at first.

"Oh, Tamako, it's you," she said. Her classmate tilted her head.

"What's wrong?" she asked. "You look upset about something." And just that, two other women turned their heads.

"Something the matter?" a woman with long black hair and glasses asked. Midori stared at her and a chubbier woman now walking over to her table.

"Shiori? Eriko?" she asked. The tadpole lowered her eyes.

"Actually, there is something wrong," she said. Midori took out her phone and showed it to them. "I got this e-mail this morning and it creeps me out." The girls crowded around for a look. The body just contained a video clip of a girl with short blonde hair and a long white dress walking on top of a stone wall near what looked to be a beach. The video contained no sound.

"What is it?" Eriko asked.

"It's me," Midori said, trembling. "This was taken when I was thirteen and on vacation with my parents." Her friends stared at her.

"What about it?" Tamako asked.

"I don't remember when this was taken," Midori said. "I don't know who took this." She began trembling as she looked at the frozen image on the screen.

"I know when this was taken because my hair was dyed blonde throughout my teen years," the tadpole said. "My parents and I were on vacation out to the beach at the time. It was one of those rare times that we could all go together. At the time, I was out exploring an older part of the beach."

"And you do know who took the video?" Shiori asked. Midori shook her head.

"I don't know why they would send me this video or shoot this for me," she said. "The e-mail address was deleted too." She flipped away from the video.

"What should I do?" Midori asked. Her friends looked just as pale as she did.

"Call the police," Shiori said at last.

"Right," the tadpole said.

* * *

_Chiharu_

It's been getting worse. Sometimes, Chiharu will get up at insane hours of the night. She would just lie there awake with strange noises buzzing in her head.

She woke up around midnight this time. Chiharu could smell blood again. Her eyes trailed along the darkness. The doctor told her that it would get worse before it got better. She believed him on the worse part. Tatsuya warned her to stop taking the medication. Chiharu did… for a little while.

It felt like little ants were crawling all over her skin. More like under her skin. Chiharu's body felt like there was a heavy crushing it to the bed. She took in heavy breaths.

_I need water._

It felt like the whole room was swimming. Chiharu closed her eyes, but she could hear her blood rushing through her body. Speaking of which, the flashbacks came back. The steel bars of a cage formed shadows in her mind. She could hear violin music playing. And the humming. Oh that damn humming. That woman came into the room with a bucket of human organs and blood. Oddly enough, Chiharu found herself drooling as if about to be served Japanese on a plate. Her body wanted to leap forward and tear into that bloody goodness.

The thought made her want to vomit. Even more so, Chiharu began to think about the craving for blood. It didn't help that the worst of it came around 4:44 a.m.

* * *

_Visitor_

Chikako found her phone blowing up with notifications from her security alarm in her door bell. The constant ringing lasted from one to five in the morning. The coroner couldn't wrap her head around it.

"Texting a boyfriend?" one of the cops asked her at work.

"No," she said. "Someone keeps buzzing me in insane hours in the morning." The cop looked with her on her phone screen.

"Twenty-eight times in four hours?!" he asked.

"This was just last night," Chikako said. "They've been by my apartment before."

"Do you who it is?" the cop asked.

"No," she said as she looked through the security log history. Her colleague looked at the times with her.

"I think so," Chikako said. "I've never tried to use it before." She looked up at her as she took the hint.

"I will try to see my visitor tonight," she said.

"Call us if you have any problems," the cop said.

"I will," she said.

* * *

The next morning, Chikako checked the camera feed from her phone. The still shot threw her for a loop. A man stood outside of her door with a paper mask on his face. From the picture, he had on a white shirt and khaki shorts. The coroner tilted her head. Who was this man? Why was he ringing her bell this early in the morning? What did he want with her?

The time this picture was taken? 4:44 a.m.

* * *

_Torn Family_

Tsukamoto Shin sat in the darkness in front of his TV. He watched himself on his old public access show. Shin hated the man he saw on the screen. That man, his old self, was responsible for the deaths of his family.

He had it so good about four years ago. Shin loved his wife and child dearly. But, he had acted like a cocky asshole in the public eye. This would be his undoing. Shin replayed the events of that dreadful night.

His show was recording on July 15th, 2009. Shin kissed his wife goodbye for the last time. He made one more call to her before he went live on the air. After the show, he came home at 4:44 a.m.

"I'm home," Shin mumbled. He didn't think about how his words and pride would catch up to him. No, on his mind was falling asleep next to his beloved wife and seeing her beautiful face in the morning. When he made it back to his room, his endless nightmare began. Shin read the note stapled to the door addressed to him. He opened the door and the old him instantly died at the bloody crime scene.

Today, the sorrow is still there. But, a sense of revenge now accompanied it.

* * *

_Uzuki_

Mikado awoke to someone tapping on the window around 4:44 a.m. The tadpole opened one as he sensed who it was. Uzuki floated outside of the tadpole's window. Confused, Mikado crawled out of his futon and crept over to the glass.

"Uzuki-san, what are you doing here?" he whispered after opening the window.

"I had to see you again," she whispered.

"But why?" he asked. The wolf demon looked around as quickly as she could before leaning in.

"You and the others are in grave danger," she whispered. Mikado opened his mouth, but Uzuki covered it just as fast.

"Don't talk," she whispered. "Just listen to me!" The wolf demon stared him right in eyes as he went still.

"Do not pay them any attention," she said. "There are demons trying to kill you because you are a tadpole. Just listen to me. You can't pay them any attention. If you do, they will become stronger. Find anyway to distract yourself from them. Do not let them in. Am I clear? Nod once if you do." Mikado nodded once. Uzuki breathed out and lowered her hand.

"Good," the wolf demon said. She crawled into the apartment. Mikado about jumped.

"You're coming in?!" he asked in a loud whisper. Uzuki looked up at him as if it was normal for her to do so.

"I might as well. I came all this way, didn't I?" she asked. "Don't worry, I will be gone by sunrise. And I won't do anything to you." Mikado watched as walked over to a corner of his room and sit down.

"Okay then…" he muttered.

* * *

_Pleading_

Makoto sat in the darkness as he watched Evie sleep. He shut his eyes and could already predict what was coming next. 4:44 a.m., right on the dot.

_I won't do it, Michiko! Please leave me alone!_

_You have no choice. They have already opened five gates. Time is running out, Makoto. You have to help me._

_I won't do it! I can't drag her into this!_

There was a pause in his head. Then, she said the words that he dreaded.  _They already have pulled her into this game._

Makoto's heart pounded.  _No…_

_She will realize it soon enough. I think that she already has._

_You're lying! You have to be!_

_I wish I was._

Makoto shivered as he pulled his knees to his chest. He tried so desperately to get away from this endless nightmare, but Michiko and Tandeki were pulling him back. This time, he felt that old anger taking over him again.

_Tell what I need to do!_

* * *

_E-Mails II_

Another e-mail was sent out at 4:44 a.m. This time, it was sent to Mikado's inbox. Against his better judgement, he opened the message. This too was a video clip by a deleted e-mail address. There was no subject line. Against his better judgement, Mikado hit.

A group of people were dressed in black sat in a darkened room. They held wooden signs. The video was grainy with the sound muzzled. A voice spoke in Russian from the front of the room. Mikado narrowed his eyes.

"What the hell is this?" he asked. Then the video showed two large paintings of twin child, one a boy and the other a girl. The crowd shouted out numbers to each other the twins in Russian. Both of them were "sold" to the highest bid in the crowd. It didn't take long for Mikado to put two and two together. It got worse when he sat Kohaku's picture going up next.

* * *

_Text Message_

Meanwhile, Madoka got a text around 4:44 a.m. The number was unknown.

"Your grandma is lying to you," it read, Normally, Madoka would've ignored such a text and delete it. But, something didn't feel right. Around morning, she stared at her phone.  _Why would grandma be lying?_  Who sent her this text?

"Is something wrong, dear?" she heard behind her. Madoka turned around to see her grandma smiling from the doorway. Her granddaughter forced herself to smile.

"Nothing," Madoka lied. "Good morning, grandma."

"Good morning, honey," the old lady said. Madoka shoved her phone into her jeans pocket and tried to ignore it. But, something in her mind wouldn't let her.

* * *

_Searching_

A young man from Shinjuku finally made it to Ikebukuro. The city felt so quiet. Still, he didn't let down his guard. She had to be here. They had known each other for too long. She couldn't disappear from him if she tried. It was important that they stayed together especially from the vision that he saw.

He pulled out his phone and looked at the screen. 4:44 a.m.

"Heh," he said to himself. The young man made his way further into the city.

* * *

_Nightmares_

Mikado still has nightmares. The scars from Chou Mori run deep. Lately, they have been getting worse.

It's starting to come together into a clear picture. He could smell the bleach in the room. So many needles going into his body that he lost count. At one point, a mask was put over his mouth to put him to sleep for another surgery experiment. Only, this time he could see what they were doing from above. Kitano and Etsuko were talking, but he couldn't make out exactly what they were saying. This had to be after the fifth experiment because the first four were needle injections. The site of Mikado's beating heart in his open chest made the color drain from his face. His stomach turned as Etsuko sewed him back up after the experiment.

This was only one sample of nightmares that always reoccurred. Mikado felt like the room was closing in around him every time he woke up around 4:44 a.m.

This early morning would be no different. This time, he would have Masaomi and Anri by his side to help him get through this.

* * *

_Mari's Laptop_

Mari shut down her laptop like she normally did last night. She hadn't expected much to happen over the night. After everything was shut down, Mari went back to bed.

But around 4:44 a.m., her laptop turned back on. Yoemon-sensei looked around through the built-in webcam. But then, he vanished and a new message appeared on the screen.

Are you lost in this world like me?


	10. Shizuo

Halo Nine: Shizuo:

She touched down in Narita Airport at seven in the morning. A woman in a short brown coat looked at her phone. Etsuko would be meeting her about 7:30 a.m. The woman stretched her arms above her head and moved her neck from side to side. After her nap on the plane, she did her research. This was a very special patient. Needles broke at the contact of his muscles. He didn't feel pain. He survived getting shot and hit by a truck—twice. He could pick up whole vending machines and throw them long distance. The thought of Heiwajima Shizuo sent excited shivers down the woman's spine.

The woman dialed up her host on her cell phone. "I'm here. Where are you?" She listened in for a few seconds before nodding.

"Understood," she said. "I am on my way." The woman hung up and made her way through the airport. She spotted Etsuko near the airport coffee shop. The Japanese doctor turned her head and happened to see her colleague. She flagged down the woman in the short brown coat. Her guest looked up and walked over to her. Etsuko stood up.

"Welcome, Yashin-sensei," she said. "Are you ready to get to work?" The woman in the short brown coat smiled as she peered through black sunglasses.

"Why yes," she said. "When do I start?"

"Follow me," the Japanese doctor said. She led the woman out of the airport.

* * *

-7:00 p.m.-

The work day was supposed to have been over. Shizuo, Tom, and Vorona were out at the bar enjoying a simple evening. The trio thought they would just grab a drink and head home. Nothing too big. But then, Tom got a call on his cell phone.

"Excuse me," he said. The call didn't last long, but already the dark-skinned man was frowning.

"Hello?" he asked. "Oh, boss. What? Oh, him again? Fine, I'll do it right now. No, it's fine. Okay, thank you. Goodbye." Tom sighed and rubbed his forehead.

"Is something wrong?" Shizuo asked. His old friend turned to him, hiding the slight inconvenience on his face.

"I apologize. Another job came up," Tom said.

"Who is it this time?" Vorona asked.

"Kita again," he said. Despite Tom trying to keep a low tone of voice when saying the name, Shizuo still heard him. The body guard broke his glass in his hand as he gritted his teeth.

"It's okay, it's okay," Tom insisted. "Vorona and I can take care of it really quick." In truth, he didn't want a repeat of last time. Kita made the mistake of talking shit about Shizuo's brother under his breath. Something about him being a pussy or something to that effect. In short, Shizuo went into one of his infamous rages. Kita would've been dead if Tom hadn't stepped in time.

Best to deal with this as quickly as possible.

"Are you sure?" Shizuo asked as he tried to calm down. The bartender in front of him looked freaked out.

"Yes," Tom insisted. "You just stay here and relax for a bit. Vorona and I won't take too long." Shizuo settled back into place.

"Fine," he muttered. The bartender calmed down and went back to work.

"We'll be right back," Tom said. "Let's go, Vorona." He paid the tab and the two left the bar.

The whole time, a woman with an obvious red wig watched him. She had done her research on Shizuo for three months now. The fact that Tom and Vorona had to deal with a deadbeat couldn't have played more into her favor. But still, the bar was full. The fake redhead would have to wait until the patrons were winding down. Lucky for her, patience got along with her so well.

As the night wore on, more and more people started leaving. Tom and Vorona seemed to be taking longer than expected to get back. Meanwhile, the woman in the red wig saw her opportunity. She whispered something to the bartender. She pointed over at Shizuo as she spoke. The bartender nodded and fixed up a drink. The bodyguard himself noticed her as well. Who was this woman? What did she want with him?

"Excuse me," the middle-aged bartender said. "That lady down there just bought you a drink." He pointed down to the woman in the red wig. She tried to pretend not to be looking at them.

"Why?" Shizuo asked with an eyebrow raised. The bartender shrugged.

"She said that you looked lonely," he said. Shizuo frowned as he took the glass. What with that woman? She didn't even try to pretend not to be looking at him. He could've sworn that she gave him something as they were talking. Shizuo couldn't sure what she gave the bartender. Now, the woman pretended to be on her phone. Despite this, he didn't want to come off as rude.

"Tell her thank you," Shizuo said. The bartender nodded and went back to work. Shizuo waited for a few seconds, looking around. Most of the people had left for the night. Only he and this woman were at the bar. Maybe he was seeing things and this woman wanted to buy him a dream. She didn't do anything to try and approach him after all. He didn't want to come across as rude either. Shizuo took a sip of the mystery booze he was gifted. To his surprise, it had a sweet taste. Well, that wasn't a bad surprise. Meanwhile, the woman further down the bar glanced up as Shizuo was drinking the drink that she ordered for him. A small smirk came across her face.

The last thing Shizuo could remember was everything going black.

* * *

_She was once of the most predominant therapists in Moscow. Doctor Yashin took pride in her unsound and unorthodox methods. Her bosses were willing to ignore protocol in favor of the results that she delivered. Her patients seemed to get better, but at what cost? She didn't play by the rules with her clients. Her treatment of choice? Doctor Yashin chose to engage to "animal therapy"._

Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip.

Shizuo awoke grumbling. His head felt like it was underwater. The pain matched the ringing in his ears.

"Urgh!" he muttered. He slurred out something to the effect off where he was.

"Oh good, you're awake," a woman's voice said. She sounded like a Russian woman who had been smoking cigarettes all her life.

"Huh?" Shizuo asked. The footsteps walking towards him made his ears ring. He heard a match being struck. A woman towered over the seated man being held in place with zip ties. She looked so pale in the candle light. Her black tube top and vest held her chest in place. The black shorts showed her bony hips. Her boots made her look taller. She looked at her "patient" through her sunglasses. Shizuo noticed that bright red wig.

"It's you…" he mumbled. The woman gave him a devilish smile.

"So nice that you recognize me," she said. The woman took off the wig, revealing her black hair up in a ponytail.

"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Doctor Dorothea Yashin," she said. "I am a psychiatrist and I you are my latest patient." Her raspy voice said like a phone going in and out of reception. Her face looked like a Noh mask in the dark.

"What?" Shizuo asked. He looked so drunk as he stared at Dorothea. She took hold of his chin.

"Ah yes," she said. "You will be my greatest work." She didn't make any sense to him. Shizuo tried to push himself to his feet, but his legs felt like jello.

"Whoa! Easy there," Dorothea said. "You're still under the influence of my little cock I gave you earlier. That's right. I slipped you a little something in your drink while the bartender wasn't looking. What did I put in there, you ask?" The therapist grabbed Shizuo by the hair.

"Well, I will tell you," she said. "I have been studying you for months now. You are quite fascinating. You don't feel pain. Nothing kills you easily. You are able to throw whole vending machines. I had to admit, I didn't know how it would take to drug you. I did manage to get a blood sample from you from a colleague of mine." Dorothea smirked.

"You do have some abnormalities," she said. "It took me days to get the right amount to get you in this state." The whole time, Shizuo still looked out of it and didn't know what she was saying. Her voice sounded so sounded down to him. Dorothea smiled and let go of his hair.

"Oh, my pet, I'm not done with you yet," she purred. The therapist walked over to a giant lamp-type bong. The outside frame was painted a brass color while the glass was a faded pink. The body itself looked like an hourglass with a hole at the bottom. The top looked like an open flower. The top came up to her waist. She rested her hand on the top.

"This room is perfect," Dorothea said. "We're in a basement bar underneath an abandoned hotel. Nobody knows where we are. You can make all the noise you want, but no one will hear you from outside. It's just going to be us." She pulled out his cell phone.

"Cell phone use will not be allowed at any time," Dorothea added. The therapist turned off Shizuo's phone. She went ahead and turned off her own phone as well.

"There, now no one will bother us the whole time," Dorothea said. She put her hand on the bong.

"I brought along my dear old friend to help out our session," the therapist said. "It's a special drug that I developed years ago in Mother Russia. I have perfected it over the years and used it on countless patients. You will be the latest addition." Dorothea gave her victim a cold smirk as she struck a match.

"I have the high windows opened. And I have built up immunity to my own drug," she said. "It took me years and small doses of exposure over time to get to this level I wanted to." Dorothea lit up the bong. She walked over and picked up a bar of small red liquid she had sitting on the bar. The therapist made so many batches back in Moscow and had it sent to Japan ahead of them. She was going to make this long session with her special "patient". Dorothea uncapped the liquid and poured it into the tray over the fire. Instantly, said liquid turned into a heavy steam. The therapist smirked in the candle light.

"Let us begin the session," she said.

* * *

_Dorothea and Etsuko had known each other since 2000. The Japanese doctor was the one who found her back when the internet was still evolving. It started with the news articles. Dorothea won many awards in the world of psychology. That was all during the late 1970's to the mid-1990's. But then, she disappeared. Etsuko had to find out why._

-One Month Earlier-

Etsuko pulled out her cell phone and made another call.

"Hello," she said. "I know it's late over there in Moscow, but I have a personal request for you. I think you're going to love this one. I've always known you to enjoy a challenge. I have a good one for you here. Will you hear me out? Excellent." The doctor looked out the window of her second lab at Rampo Biotech.

"I have a particular patient for you," she continued. "He's what I would call a minotaur. You are familiar with our game, correct? I thought so. Saves me time explaining everything. We see this minotaur as a vital threat to our game. What I want is for you to tame him with your 'special' training. I've heard that you've improved your techniques since last we spoke. Good to know. Anyway, I call you because we will need your skills. I am out of my league to handle him because I am a doctor of the body and not mind, as you already know. Kitano-sensei and Otomo-sensei could do it, but their focus is better spent on their respective branches. If they took time to deal with the minotaur, who knows what could blow up behind their backs? Saying that, I do trust our interns, but we haven't told them what we want them to do in case something goes wrong. So, this is where you come in. Keep in mind, he's not like your previous patients. He's quite strong. In fact, we all call him Ikebukuro's strongest man. Are you still up for the challenge?"

Etsuko's lips curved into a little smirk.

"Excellent, that's what I wanted to hear," she said. "Your new patient's name? Heiwajima Shizuo."

* * *

-Light Level-

Shizuo awoke on the streets of Ikebukuro. Only… It looked slightly different. The old stores came back from the dead.

_Where… Where am I?_

Shizuo turned when he felt a head on his shoulder. Kasuka leaned on his side as if he was going to sleep. But, he looked like a child. Shizuo turned his head and looked in the shop window next to him. He and his brother were little kids again. The boy backed up with such shock on his face.

"What the hell is going on?!" he asked. Kasuka about fell on the street, jerking himself awake.

"Nii-chan?" he asked in a dull, half-asleep voice. "What's wrong?" Shizuo was about to speak when he looked up at the bakery and saw that kind lady being attacked by Aozaki's thugs. She looked scared as the men cornered her. Young Shizuo's mind sprung into protection mode. The boy raced over to the bakery. He made his way inside and attacked in his blind rage just like he did before.

When he was done, something wasn't right. Where did all of this blood come from? Against his better judgement, the boy looked up. The bakery was in ruins. Among the broken glass and wooden were bodies. Everyone, including the lady who ran the bakery, lay in pools of blood. Shizuo looked down at his little hands. He screamed at the blood stained on his hands.

"Yes, you killed them," a woman's voice purred. Shizuo trembled as he turned his head. Dorothea stood behind him smirking. She patted a traumatized Kasuka on the head.

"You are a murderer, Shizuo-kun," the therapist said. "You killed all of those people including her." She motioned over to the bakery owner covered in glass and blood. The look of terror in her eyes sent the young boy falling to his knees. Kasuka was so frozen in fear at his brother. Shizuo could already hear the voices in his head.

"What a monster."

"He murdered that innocent woman."

"Scary."

"His parents gave birth to such a terror."

"Evil little monster."

"Monster."

"Monster!"

"Monster!"

Dorothea leaned down to young Shizuo's ear. "You brought this on yourself." The child shivered with his back to her. The therapist breathed in heavily as she added more of her special drug to the small heated tray in the bong.

* * *

-11:45 p.m.-

Tom stood in Shizuo's apartment with a sinking feeling in his stomach. When he and Vorona returned to the bar, Shizuo was gone. The debt collector asked the bartender where his body guard disappeared to. The bartender told him that Shizuo started looking sick and some redhead dragged him away.

"Did she say anything?" Tom asked.

"Not really," the bartender said. "She just said that she was taking him home."

"Hm…" the debt collector said. He tried to call Shizuo, but the operator said the phone was either out of range or turned off. When Tom and Vorona made it to Shizuo's apartment, all of the lights were off and no one was home.

"Where is he?" Vorona asked.

"I have no idea…" Tom said. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed up the right number for this moment.

"Hello?" Kasuka asked on the other line.

"Hey, Kasuka, is Shizuo with you?" the debt collector asked.

"No," the actor said in his usual stoic voice. "Why? Did something happen?"

"Oh…" Tom said. "Um… Listen, there might be something wrong. But, don't panic. He probably got lost somewhere. I will make some calls."

"Do you need me to do anything?" Kasuka asked.

"No, just stay by the phone," Tom said. "I'll call you when we find your brother."

"Thank you," the pop star said. Tom hung up and called the police.

* * *

_Dorothea had been studying Shizuo really closely. She had binders upon binders about Ikebukuro's strongest man. Etsuko sent it all to her. Dorothea now had a fire to work again. She spent days and nights reading her research. This treatment for her patient had to be perfect. Needle injection wouldn't work like the others. Judging by how Etsuko described, Dorothea had the perfect animal to turn Shizuo into._

"I will turn you into a minotaur," the therapist swore.

-Middle Level-

This time, Shizuo woke up in a bright red room. At first, it looked empty. The body guard couldn't move because of the zip ties holding him down. He still hadn't sobered up from the cocktail he had been slipped earlier. That because the last thing he was worried about as he looked up.

Akane was nailed down to a giant black metal cross. She looked like she had been strangled and severely beaten up. Her uniform was torn to shred and her blood blended in with the floor below.

"Akane-chan!" Shizuo shouted in a hoarse voice. He tried desperately to get up, but the zip ties felt like they were crushing down on his wrists.

"Please don't do that," Dorothea said. "You'll hurt yourself."

"What did you do to Akane?" he asked. The therapist whistled.

"You can speak clearly now, I see," she said. "As for your question, oh I just crucified the little brat."

"What?!" Shizuo asked. Dorothea's pupils dilated as she took in heavy breath.

"She was a naughty little girl so I had to punish her!" she said. Her patient trembled in his bindings. Dorothea patted him on the head.

"Learn your place, monster," she said in a whisper. The therapist licked him on the ear and took a step back.

"I've got a little present for you," she said. Dorothea moved aside to reveal Tom and Vorona laying on the ground at her feet. Both had been severely beaten and covered in blood. Shizuo let out an inaudible scream. Dorothea smirked as she pulled out a loaded handgun.

"Look what we have here!" she said. "Two precious friends and one loaded gun." The therapist moved before Tom and Vorona and pointed the barrel between them.

"Sadly, only one of them can live," she said. "Which one shall I kill?" Dorothea glanced up at her patient.

"Failure to choose one will result in both dying," she said. "Choose wisely. You've got ten seconds." Shizuo froze. This wasn't like him. Usually, he would spring to act and be able to save his dear friends. He tried desperately to free himself from the zip ties, but they would not give. His head felt like it was swimming. Shizuo kept smelling jasmines and burning hair around him. Dorothea slowly waved her gun back and forth.

"Eeny meeny miny moe!" she chanted. "Catch a tiger by the toe. If he hollers, let him go. Eeny, meeny, miny, moe." Her gun slowly went back and forth once before stopping.

Bang!

The bullet buried into the back of Tom's head. The blood flew up into Dorothea's face. Shizuo watched in horror. I thought!"

"That was easier than I thought!" she said. "In fact…" The therapist turned the gun on Vorona and pulled the trigger.

"No!" Shizuo cried with a voice above a whisper. Dorothea looked up at him, smirking.

"Monsters get nothing," she said in a cold voice. The whispers came back into Shizuo's head.

_You are a beast. You are a beast. You are a beast. You are a beast. You are a beast._

Dorothea smiled and shivered as she added more of her special drug to the small heated tray in the bong.

* * *

-12:45 a.m.-

The new day was starting and Shizuo was nowhere to be found. By now, Tom and Vorona looked worried. Shizuo wasn't answering his calls. Even Celty joined in on the search.

"Anything yet?" Tom asked.

[No], Celty typed. [Did something happen?]

"I'm not too sure," the debt collector said. His tone let on that he feared the worst.

* * *

_Dorothea ran her methods on many patients. She had a well-being job at Moscow State University. Her colleagues and boss respected her. Whenever there was a problem, they came to her. Dorothea basked in feeling needed. The staff gave her free reign to carry her experiments and therapy however she pleased. This would prove to be a huge mistake in the long run._

_One case would send it all crashing._

-Deep Level-

This time, Shizuo awoke in the darkness. The smell of jasmines and burning hair persisted. What was that crazy woman going to do to him now?

When did it get so hot in here?

Shizuo turned his head against his better judgement. His younger brother lay naked on the ground in a daze with Dorothea also naked and on top of him. She threw back her head and groaned. Shizuo felt his stomach turn. How could she stoop so low? Dorothea turned her head with lust in her eyes.

"Are you enjoying this, minotaur?" she asked. "Kasuka is!" The younger brother made a gurgling noise with each thrust. It seemed like his soul was leaving his body. Shizuo tried to get up and scream out, but the zip ties kept him in place. He found that he had no voice to cry out to his beloved younger brother.

At the climax, Dorothea pulled out a knife from her ponytail and stabbed Kasuka in the jugular. Blood sprayed everywhere. She groaned as it hit her face. Shizuo's eyes widened as it looked like the last bit of his soul left his body. By now, the voices made him dead inside.

_You are a beast. You are a beast. You are a beast. You are a beast. You are a beast. You are a beast!_

Shizuo slumped down into his bindings. Dorothea had a devilish grin on her face.

* * *

_Dorothea was fired from Moscow State University because she took her Animal Therapy too far on a rich female client. The woman in question had suffered from depression from years and even attempt to take her own life. None of her previous therapists could help. Desperate, her parents turned to Dorothea. The therapist was happy to help. She used her usual animal therapy on the young woman and made her a cat in her mental state. Usually, this therapy took days. This client took about a month. She ended up going too deep into her feline mental state to the point, her parents couldn't bring her back. The final straw was when she tried to attack her father when he attempted to bring her home. In the end, the daughter had to be committed to a psychiatric hospital indefinitely and Dorothea was fired. Her license was revoked and she pretty much became recluse. In her time away, Dorothea worked to get revenge on her former patients and colleagues. People associated with Moscow State University started vanishing within a thirteen-year period. There were theories, but none of them could connect back to the disgraced therapist._

_That was until Etsuko called her for this job._

-Climax-

Dorothea stood in front of a beautiful site. Shizuo's eyes looked so empty. His breathing became heavy. His body was covered in cuts, bruises, and blood. (Yes, she turned to physical torture at some points just to test her theory. Dorothea loved the results.) Shizuo didn't even seem to be making noises that sounded vaguely human. The therapist smiled and shook her head.

"Look at you," she said. "Must be terrible, huh? All of them gone. Everything good in your life stripped clean from you. What are you now?" Dorothea smiled like a hungry wolf.

"You are just a lowlife beast!" she shouted. "You are an animal! You will be my minotaur!" Dorothea walked over to the bar and out something from behind it. She proudly held up a large hollowed black bulls head.

"If act like a beast, you will be treated like a beast!" Dorothea shouted. She marched over and forced the bull head down over Shizuo's own head. The broken man made gutter noise from his bloodied, swollen mouth that resembled a wounded bull. The therapist smirked and she broke down laughing. In her madness, she freed the minotaur for her final act.

"Do you want to play? Let's play," she said.

* * *

-Aftermath-

After six in the morning, Dorothea lay dead on the floor with a giant hole in her chest and a twisted smile on her face. Shizuo lay slumped against the bar wall, panting and no will left inside of him. He was too far away to see the horrified looks on Tom and Vorona's face when they found him.


	11. Blackout

Halo Ten: Blackout:

On Saturday, Ikebukuro experienced a two-day black out. Only three places had power: Russia Sushi, the Awakusu's main headquarters, and Rampo Biotech. The electric company sent the text that they would try and fix everything before Monday. Meanwhile, more things started to unravel and come to light.

Madoka stared at her phone. "Your grandma is lying to you." What did that mean? What was grandma lying about?

"Madoka-chan, can you help me find the matches?" her grandma asked down the hall. Madoka quickly put away her phone.

"Uh… sure!" she said. Madoka was leaving her room when her phone buzzed.

"Hm?" she asked. The tadpole pulled out her phone and looked at the screen. She received another text. The night was blocked like last time. Against her better judgement, Madoka opened the message.

"Ask your grandma about your grandpa."

She narrowed her eyes at the screen. Why couldn't she get rid of that sinking feeling in her stomach?

"Madoka-chan?" her grandma asked.

"Oh! I'm coming!" the young woman shouted. She dashed out of her room with her phone in her hand. Madoka found the matches in the kitchen and took them to her grandmother in the living room.

"Thank you, darling," the old lady said. Madoka watched as she struck a match.

"How did grandpa get sick again?" she asked. The old woman froze.

"Why do you ask, dear?" she asked. Madoka rubbed the back of her head.

"I don't know," she said. "I just figured I could go and visit him sometime. I just miss having him around the apartment, you know?"

"Oh…" the old lady said in the candle light. "He just got really ill after you came home." She nervously laughed as she spoke.  _I did this for her. She doesn't need to know the truth. I have to keep it that way. She doesn't need to go through that again._

"What are you talking about?" Madoka asked. Her grandmother gave her a confused look.

"What are you talking about, dear?" she asked. "I didn't say anything." Madoka backed away.

"Did you hurt grandpa in any way?" she asked.

"You know, I wouldn't," the old lady said. Madoka started trembling.

"Please don't lie to me," she said.

"Sweetheart…"

"Please!"

The old lady dropped her shoulders. "He was going to tell you everything. I couldn't let you live that nightmare again. So I had to make him a little sick."

"Grandma…"

"I wasn't trying to kill him. I just wanted to make him not able to talk."

Madoka leapt up to her feet. All words she wanted to say vanished from her mouth. She turned and ran to her room.

"Madoka-chan!" her grandmother yelled. The tadpole slammed the door shut behind her.

* * *

Tom and Vorona sat in Russia Sushi. Neither one could speak about what happened to Shizuo. They couldn't take the bull head off of his head. He had lost the ability to speak in human speech. Vorona could feel her heart breaking in her chest. How could the strongest man that she had known been so broken like this? Tom took a smoke of his cigarette.

"We can't tell Kasuka about this," he muttered. "He couldn't handle it."

"No," Vorona said.

"Tom, Vorona!" Simon said as he came from the kitchen. "Where's Shizuo today?" Tom and Vorona had grim looks on their faces.

"He's sick today," the debt collector lied.

"Aw, no good," Simon said. "If he sick, then he should eat sushi! It's good for him."

"I don't that would help," Tom muttered. As of right now, they had to put Shizuo in a secure place.

* * *

Chiharu groaned and rubbed her head. The pain kept getting worse. The smell of blood drove her crazy. Sometimes, she couldn't even walk straight. Her doctor tried to ease her off the medication. This might what could be called withdrawals. Only, this felt worse. How could those explain all of these memories she started to have?

She couldn't place where some of these took place. Chiharu had gotten used to seeing the bars in these visions. But why was she kneeling before Mikado? He had his hand over her head. Another was her being strapped down to a bed in a darkened room. She could hear voices above her head. They didn't come out in clear Japanese, however. A man in a white coat turned with a needle filled with red liquid in his hand. He muttered something under his breath the needle sank into her arm.

Chiharu let out a pain-filled scream in the dark.

"What?! What is it? What is wrong?!" Tatsuya asked. His sister lifted her head. Her body broke down, trembling. Tatsuya grabbed her by the hair and pulled her head upwards.

"Are you using again?" he asked.

"What?" Chiharu asked.

"Don't lie to me," Tatsuya said. "Are you using again?"

"No!"

"Do not lie to me. I can tell that you have been using again."

"Get off me!" Chiharu slapped his arm away and grabbed her head. The voices started up again.  _Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!_  She looked up at her brother with vacant eyes.

"I don't feel so good," Chiharu said in a child-like voice.

"Chiharu?" Tatsuya asked. The young girl got up and wandered down the dark hall to her room. Her brother tilted his head.

* * *

_Do not be afraid of the dark._

A woman with long red hair lit a candle on the old bar next the back doors of her basement apartment. When she was a child, she had a fear of the dark. Her twin sister would try and comfort her during power outages like this. Her sister would hold her and whisper in her ear.

"It's okay," her sister would say. "We will be fine. Do not be afraid of the dark. Shhh." The younger twin rested her head against her chest.

Today, the woman closed her eyes and took a breath. She opened her eyes when she heard her phone buzzing. She dropped her shoulders and sighed. The woman walked over and looked at the screen. Miwa Yukio was calling again. She rolled her eyes and rejected the call. Why wouldn't he leave her alone?

* * *

Michiko wandered around the nearly empty streets. It didn't take long for her to notice someone following her. She moved her arms behind her head.

"I know you're here," the girl said. Michiko turned to see Lucy walking out of the bush. The girl smirked as she noticed the frustrated look on the nightcomer's face.

"What?" Lucy asked.

"You can't find them, can you?" Michiko asked. The nightcomer gritted her teeth.

"Where did you hide them?!" she asked. The little girl tapped the side of her nose.

"I'm not telling," she said. Lucy could see fire before calming down.

"Oh, we'll find that gate," she said. "And they will take that precious boy of yours too. What's his name again? Masaomi?"

"You better not," Michiko hissed. Lucy put up her hands.

"Easy there, I am not the one to get mad at," she said. "You can't start what has begun, you know?"

"It won't stop me from trying," the young girl muttered. The nightcomer shrugged.

"Suit yourself," she said. "Good luck with that." Lucy jumped up and vanished into thin air. Michiko clicked her tongue as she pulled out her phone.

"Tiresias, we have to hurry," she said. "Any progress yet?"

"I am still searching," the blind woman said on the other line. Michiko bit her lower lip and paced around.

"Oh no…" she muttered. "This is bad. This is bad."

"Calm down," Tiresias said. "We will find the rest of the Light Gates." Michiko bit on her fingers. Tandeki had never gotten this far before. If this kept up, the apocalypse could be coming sooner than feared.

* * *

Risa had just finished lighting the candles around the apartment. Her last stop was Riku's room.

"Pretty scary, isn't it?" she asked. "But, don't worry. They are working to get the power back. You won't have to sit in the hot darkness for long." Riku sat behind her on her bed. Her eyes looked vacant as ever. She had her mouth open as if ready to say something. Risa turned around as soon as she heard noises.

"Shhh," the lawyer whispered as she pulled her sister into her arms. "It's going to be okay. I'm still here. I won't leave you." She kissed her sister on the forehead. Riku took about five minutes to calm down.

"There," Risa said. "I will stay with you until the power comes back on, okay?" Riku's eyes moved towards her sister.

Outside, Azazael had his eyes on Riku. He had to wait for the moment when Risa was away from her. For now, he would just keep watch. There was a certain old man that he had to visit in Shinjuku when the power came on.

* * *

Junko looked at an early bottle of Biddy Early. Her plan was working, but now she hit a little snag. Tatsuya was catching on about Shizumu-sensei poisoning his younger sister. The nurse still needed Chiharu for the Angel Project. Looked like it was time to change tactics.

Lucky for her, Mikado was helping to speed up the process without his knowledge. But still, Chiharu needed a bigger dose. Junko turned when he heard a knock on her door.

"Come in!" she said. Yui poked her head inside. The nurse glanced behind her.

"Yeah?" she asked. The intern walked in and lowered her head.

"Can you give me something to do?" she asked. Junko raised her eyebrow.

"Why?" she asked. Yui walked into the basement office, frowning.

"We can't find the last two gates. My apartment has no internet because there is no power. I only came in today because I am bored," she complained. "Please help me out!" Junko took a moment to think about it.

"Do you mind paperwork?" she asked.

"I'll do it!" Yui was quick to say.

"Okay… And I would like to pick your brain for something."

The intern gave her a curious look. "What for?"

Junko stood up. "How do you poison someone without getting close to them?"

"Hm… I have a couple of ideas," Yui said.

"Good, let's write them down and we're going to look over the notes together," the nurse said. Her intern broke into huge smile.

"Sweet," she said. Yui walked over next to Junko and pulled up a chair.

* * *

The power was restored to Ikebukuro by morning. Everything went back to normal. However, the damage was already seeping in.


	12. Nobuyuki

Halo Eleven: Nobuyuki:

-July 20th, 1991-

She lay in her cage on unresponsive. Kitano and his team didn't know what to do with this woman. She didn't die no matter how many times they tried to finish her off. Nothing seemed to kill her. She survived without food or water. Medication didn't work. Needles brought when they touched her skin. But why wasn't she moving? Etsuko stuck a small mirror underneath the nostrils of the caged-up patient.

"She's still alive," she said. Kitano sighed.

"Most unfortunate," he said.

"So what do you want to do with her?" the doctor asked. "We can't leave her like this. What if one of the staff members comes down in the basement and finds her like this? Everything we worked hard on could be exposed."

"I know," Kitano said. "I'm still working on that." Even this one had him stumped. He and Etsuko looked up when they heard the door open. One of the orderlies was walking in with a large bag.

"Hello Maeda-san," Etsuko said.

"Hi," the young orderly said. "I'm just here recycling old scalpels from upstairs."

"Busy day?" the doctor asked.

"Yes," Maeda-san said. "There are new patients coming in again." She was in so much of a hurry that she didn't see the chord at her feet.

"Maeda-san look out!" Etsuko yelled.

"Huh?" the orderly asked. Her left foot got caught in the chord, causing the bag on her arm to rip and one of the scalpels to cut into her arm.

"Ow," the orderly muttered. Drops of her blood hit the floor.

"Are you okay?" Kitano asked.

"Yes sir," Maeda-san said. "I just cut my arm a little bit. I guess I wasn't paying attention to this chord in front of me." She looked down at the long orange chord she stood over.

"Were those scalpels cleaned?" he asked.

"I think so," the orderly said. Etsuko dashed over to check out the young woman's arm. Kitano was about to head over for a look himself when he heard low growling behind him. The therapist turned to see the caged woman trying to break out of the cage.

"Etsuko-sensei," he said. "Look at this."

"What?" the doctor asked. The woman in the cage started breathing heavily as she clawed at the ground. Her body twitched around as she made gagging noise. The orderly looked up with a confused look on her face.

"What's going on?" she asked. Kitano walked over to the large cage as if in a trance. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a key.

"What are you doing?" Etsuko asked. Kitano unlocked the cage door without an answer. The woman raced toward the blood on the floor like a bullet. The orderly backed up as she heard the wild patient licking up the drops like a hungry beast. Kitano and Etsuko watched with curious looks on their faces.

"Sensei," Etsuko whispered. Right away, Kitano began planning about what to do with the woman and the various bodies that would come with the next generation of the experiment.

* * *

-Present Day-

Tatsuya didn't know how to stop his sister's pain, but he figured that he could try and take her mind off of it. He pulled out his phone.

"Hello?" Tatsuya asked. "I know it's a bit early this year, but Chiharu really needs to see him again. I apologize in advance for this. You will come down for the weekend? Great! I'll pick up at the station tomorrow. Again, thank you so much. Goodbye." He breathed out as he hung up. The man looked down the hall. He still wasn't finished.

* * *

-Saturday-

Chiharu had just gotten up when the doorbell buzzed. A confused look came over her face.  _Who is coming over here so early?_

"Chiharu!" Tatsuya yelled from the living room. "Nobuyuki and his mom are here!" The teenaged girl froze in her bed.

"What?!" she asked. Footsteps walked from the living room and stopped in front of her door. Tatsuya opened it and poked his head inside.

"Nobuyuki's here," he said. Chiharu narrowed her eyes.

"But it's not August yet," she said.

"I know," her brother said. "I called them up yesterday."

"Why?"

"I just figured you could use some cheering up this weekend. But hey, I can take them back to the train station if you want."

"No!" Chiharu jumped out of bed and ran to her closet. Tatsuya smiled and shook his head.

"I thought so," he said. The man turned and walked out of Chiharu's room.

* * *

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Tatsuya said as he made it back to the living room. A woman and a boy about eighteen years old sat on the couch. The woman pushed her brown hair behind her ear. The boy wore jeans and a brown t-shirt. Tatsuya took a seat in the chair across from them.

"Is Chiharu okay?" the boy asked. "We usually come down to visit you in August. Did something happen?" Tatsuya frowned and looked behind him. Then, leaned forward, motioning the boy and the woman to come closer. He had practiced how he would say this since last night. Best to just dive in with it.

"I don't exactly know the details," Tatsuya whispered. "But her doctor prescribed her some strange medicine and it's made her sick. I had my friend look what was in this drug. She hasn't seen anything like it. She said some of the chemicals were hard to come be and illegal in this country. I think Chiharu's being poisoned."

"Oh no," the woman whispered. Tatsuya looked behind again.

"I've tried to get her to stop," he said. "I think she's still using it. She won't tell me if she is or not." Tatsuya looked down at his hands.

"Actually, I kind of called you down here for selfish reasons," he said looking the boy in the eye.

"For what?" the boy asked.

"Well… Just talk to her. Chiharu listens to you the most. You don't have to bring up her illness and addiction. Just let her know that you are here for her." Tatsuya held his breath. The boy's face didn't change.

"I'll see what I can do," he said. Tatsuya bowed his head.

"Thank you," he said. All three sat up when they heard footsteps enter the living room. Chiharu stood in the doorway dressed in a pink tank top, short brown skirt, and small white jacket. She had her shoulder-length brown hair back in pigtails. The boy stood up.

"Chiharu-san?" he asked. The girl quickly looked away.

"Nobuyuki," she said. "It's so nice to see you again…" Her cheeks started to turn pink.

"You look so pretty," the woman said.

"Thanks, Ito-san," Chiharu mumbled. Tatsuya clapped and rubbed his hands together.

"Okay, time for you two to go!" he said. His sister whipped her head again.

"What?" she asked. Tatsuya touched Chiharu and Nobuyuki on their backs.

"Come on," he said. "Get going. You two have the nice afternoon out. We'll see you again in the evening."

"But…" Chiharu said.

"See you guys later," Tatsuya said. "Bye now!" He shoved them out of the apartment, threw their shoes at them, and closed the door. Chiharu turned to a confused looking Nobuyuki.

"Uh… I guess we should get going," he said. He took her by the arm and led her along the path. Chiharu frowned as she looked at her apartment.

* * *

Sota was riding along on his scooter. He hadn't planned to do much that day. The tadpoles had agreed to keep a low profile as things were starting to get tense around Ikebukuro.

"It's too dangerous for all of us," Tetsu warned them last night. "They already know that we exist. I don't want to think about what they can do to us when they find us." Fine with Sota. He didn't want to get involved with this in the first place. But, there are those who just have to push the tadpoles to stand out.

Sota passed by a group of girls walking out of a karaoke bar. One of them was going left and the other three headed right.

"See you tomorrow!" the girl going left said.

"Bye-bye!" one of her friends said. But, Sota heard something completely different from the girl going left as she passed by his scooter.

_This will be my last day ever._

Sota stopped on his scooter. When he looked up, he saw the girl was in tears as she started running by. It didn't take him long to figure out what she was planning. He waited for a few minutes before turning around and followed her on the down low.

* * *

Chiharu and Nobuyuki walked beside each in silence. This felt like last year. They had a nice take so far. He let her call of the shots.

"Where do you want to go next?" Chiharu asked.

"It's up to you," he said. She sighed and threw back her head.

"Why do you always put the plans on me?" she asked.

"Because I want you to be happy," Nobuyuki said. "You are the type to be in control of everything. Even when we were kids, you led the way."

"Is that a problem?"

"No. It's what I like about you."

"Aw, you're so sweet. Ow." Chiharu started rubbing her forehead.

"Are you okay?" Nobuyuki asked.

"Yes," she said. "I'm fine. Really I am." Chiharu noticed the worried look on her crush's face. "What?"

"You've been saying that all day," Nobuyuki said. "Are you coming down with something?" She looked in the eye and sighed.

"I don't know," she admitted. "I don't know what's going on with me." Chiharu grabbed him by the hands.

"I'm scared," she whispered. Nobuyuki pulled her into his arms.

"It's going to be okay," he said in a calm voice. Chiharu looked at him with tears in her eyes.

"I hope you are right," she said. Nobuyuki looked up happened to look up behind Chiharu.

"Chiharu!" he shouted. The girl looked up to see a giant Kai-Ken running towards her. Before she could say a word it bit down hard on Chiharu's right calf.

"Ow!" she screamed. "Get him off! Get him off!"

"Subaru!" a woman's voice yelled. The young couple looked up to see a woman in her early twenties running across the street to them. Her messy ponytail bounced as she as she moved. Her grey t-shirt was covered in sweat. Her brown khakis looked like they could fall off at any time.

"Subaru! Stop that right now!" she yelled. The big dog let go of Chiharu's leg. The young girl winced in pain.

"I am so sorry!" the woman said, bowing profusely. "My dog isn't usually like this! Bad dog!" She smacked Subaru on the head. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Chiharu said through clenched teeth. "It hurts, but I'll live." The woman knelt down and looked at the bite mark.

"Ooo! That looks pretty nasty," she said. "Here, let me treat it for you."

"Oh, it's okay," Chiharu said. "We can just go to a doctor that we know."

"No, I insist," the woman said. "This won't take too long." She reached into her bag and pulled out a bottle filled with light brown liquid.

"Hold still, this will string," the woman said. She gave the wound four quick sprays. Chiharu clenched her teeth.

"What is that?" she asked.

"Anti-bacteria spray," the woman said. "It's to kill all of the germs. You can't be careful with animal bites." She pulled out some bandages and wrapped up the wound.

"There!" the woman said. "Again, I am so sorry that my dog bit you!" She took another bow. Nobuyuki squeezed Chiharu's hand as tightly as he could.

"Oh!" the woman said. "I have to get going! I'm sorry about my dog! Have a good day!" She turned and ran away. Chiharu and Nobuyuki stared at the strange woman and her dog as they hurried away. Why couldn't they shake this uncomfortable feeling that came over?

* * *

Henshuubyou, Fukan'yo, and Kyoei floated around in the sky. The older of three lifted his head.

"Our brother is coming!" he said. "Our brother is coming!" The younger dragons looked up.

"When?" Henshuubyou asked.

"When?" Fukan'yo asked.

"I am not certain," Kyoei confessed. "But I can feel him near. He's trapped in the gate. We can still call out to him. Come to us, brother!"

"Come to us, brother! Come to us, brother!" the dragons chanted together. They floated faster through their beloved sky.

* * *

The woman with her dog made it in front of Russia Sushi. She pulled out her phone and smirked.

"It's done, sensei," she said.

"Very good," Junko said on the other line. "You can come back to Rampo now."

"Yes, sensei," Yui said. She hung and counted backwards from twenty in her head.

* * *

Chiharu and Nobuyuki had just stepped out of the McDonald when Chiharu started to get dizzy. Her vision became started and blurry. The last thing she could remember was everything going black as Nobuyuki screamed her name.


	13. Hospital

Halo Twelve: Hospital:

Mikado, Masaomi, Anri, and Noriko sat in the hallway of the hospital. Tatsuya was the one who contacted them.

"What exactly happened?" Anri asked.

"Apparently she collapsed after a dog bit her," Noriko said. "The owner treated the wound."

"Did the dog have some sort of a disease?" Masaomi asked.

"No," Mikado said. "She's being poisoned." The other three friends turned their heads.

"What do you mean?" Masaomi asked.

"It's Tandeki," Mikado said. "They're doing the same thing to her like they are doing to me." Masaomi and Anri had alarmed looks on their face. Noriko, on the other hand, looked so confused.

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

"It's nothing," Mikado said. "I'm just spit-balling here." Noriko didn't say anything at first.

"Spit-balling?" she asked.

"Yeah, it's okay," the tadpole boy lied. "We don't know exactly what happened yet. We're just waiting until the nurse is done examining her." Mikado couldn't really tell Noriko what was going on.

"I don't think we should get Ishikawa-san and Hashimoto-san mixed up in this," he told Masaomi and Anri at the beginning of the summer. "It's enough that you two know about the condition I'm in. I don't know how they would take it." His friends agreed, but now the situation had changed for Chiharu.

"Alright," Noriko said. Mikado took a breath. But, Masaomi and Anri kept their eyes on him. Mikado could already hear what they were thinking.

_What are they doing to Chiharu?_

Mikado leaned back in his chair. He wanted to tell his friends everything. But, the tadpole couldn't come up with a way to get her out of the hallway. Still, that wasn't the only thing that had him worried.

* * *

Chiharu lay half-asleep in her bed. She had an IV hooked up to her arm. It looked just like the medicine she had been taking over the past few weeks. Something told her that something was off. She shouldn't have fainted from a dog bite. Rabies were non-existent in Japan. What type of disease did that dog have?

That wasn't her only problem, however.

Nurse Brooker stood over her. She never spoke to the patient. Chiharu couldn't get a good look at her face, but the nurse was always smirking at her. The pen writing made Chiharu's ears hurt. She could never see what Brooker was doing over her body. The nurse did say something this morning, but Chiharu couldn't understand what she was saying.

The patient alone in her room made things worse.

* * *

Mikado was about to doze off when he heard something or someone whispering. He opened his eyes.

"Hello?" he whispered. The tadpole glanced around his surroundings. Masaomi and the girls had already dozed off. Not good. Uzuki had warned him to ignore any ghosts or demons trying to make contact with him. The hospital gave him creepy vibes when he first walked in. Some of the spirits of patients were staring at him. The receptionist didn't seem to notice at all. He didn't need to hear her inner demon complaining about not being able to get married by next ear. The rest of the inner demons in the hospital made Mikado's ears hurt. Masaomi put his hand on his shoulder at the front desk.

"It's okay," he whispered. Mikado nodded once.

Now, Mikado could hear footsteps. His eyes trailed from left to right. Already, he saw a lady with cuts up and down her pale arms. Her long black hair hung in front of her face. The tadpole puffed up his cheeks.

_I don't see you. I don't see you. I don't see you!_

Mikado froze when he heard the elevator doors opening down the hall. He whipped his head around. A shadowy figure floated in front of the empty open doors. Mikado reached for Masaomi's arm.

"Kida-kun! Kida-kun, wake up!" he said. The blonde-haired boy wouldn't budge. Mikado bit on his thumb and looked back at the shadowy figure in front of the open elevator. In a flash it disappeared. Mikado got up and ran over to the elevator. Before he knew it, he had run in at lighting speeds. When he turned around, the doors were closing.

"No, no, no!" he said. Mikado pushed the open door button, but the doors wouldn't open.

"Come on! Come on!" he said, pushing it faster. The doors would not give. Mikado finally gave up and pulled out his phone. A confused look came over his face.

_No bars? That can't be right._ He had better reception when he first got to the hospital.

Suddenly, he heard a beeping noise.

"Huh?" Mikado asked. He looked up to see the cab moving up. The tadpole boy began freaking out.  _What the hell? Why am I going up?_  Mikado hit stop as fast as he could, but the elevator would not give. The cab went up as smooth and slow like nothing was out of the ordinary. First floor. Second floor. Third floor.

Suddenly, the cab stopped.

Mikado looked up to see what floor he was on now. His stomach dropped as he turned pale. This hospital never had a fourth floor. Mikado backed up, shaking his head.

"Oh no," he said. "I am not falling for this."

"Too late!" a girl's voice shouted.

"Huh?" Mikado asked. A small pair of hands pushed him out of the elevator. The tadpole boy stumbled out of the cab. He managed to catch himself before falling. The doors slid closed. Mikado ran over to open the doors. As predicted, the doors wouldn't open.

_Shit._

Mikado froze when he heard a low moaning sound. Now, this was a pitch where only dogs could hear it. Against his better judgement, he looked over his shoulder. The hall was mostly dark. The windows looked like they were painted black. He could feel the cold crushing on his body. Mikado shivered as he grabbed onto his arms. He turned when he heard wheels coming towards him. A young-looking nurse pushed a patient in a wheelchair. The nurse looked around eighteen or nineteen years old. Her left eye was covered in an eye patch. Her patient looked out in a daze with long white hair. She had lost both of her legs with the stumps wrapped in bandages. The nurse pushed her past Mikado.

"Excuse me," he said, trying to flag them down. "Excuse me! Excuse me! I'm trying to get back down to the ground floor but…" The nurse and patient wheeled past him to the elevator and disappeared. Mikado lowered his hand.

"Um…" he said. The crying of babies filled the air. The tadpole boy turned around. His nose curled as he began to smell rotting flesh.

"What is this?" he asked, covering his nose. Mikado could feel his eyes watering. "Why am I here?" He froze when he heard giggling behind him.

"Who's there?" he asked.

"Take a guess," a woman with an English accent said. Mikado quickly whipped around. Joe stood at the other end of the darkened hallway. The dim lighting through the cracks of the paint made her look like an evil witch. Mikado took slow steps backwards.

* * *

Arisa looked around at the nurse's station. "Guys, have you noticed Joe acting strangely lately?" Kiki and Himeko looked up at her.

"How do you mean?" Himeko asked.

"I don't know how to explain it," Arisa said. "But, she seems a bit colder now."

"Colder?" Kiki asked.

"Yeah, she hasn't been smiling lately and she seems distracted," Arisa said. Her co-workers thought about this for a moment.

"Come to think of it, something does seem off about her now," Himeko said. "She doesn't seem to like the light too well anymore. Plus, she seems to be mumbling to herself when she walks the halls."

"You too?" Arisa asked.

"Yeah," Himeko said. Kiki lowered her eyes.

"Uh, well…" she said. The other two nurses looked at her.

"What is it?" Himeko asked. The younger nurse looked away, biting on her finger.

"She has been a bit rough on the patients lately," Kiki muttered. "I saw her rip the stitches out of an elderly patient last night. He screamed in pain, but she had no emotion on her face. I have never known her to do such a thing like that."

"And you're sure it was here?" Arisa asked.

"Yes," the young nurse said without pause. All three nurses went quiet. Joe seemed to be the only one not fazed by the cold spots scattered all over the hospital. The children were scared of her now. Even some of the elderly patients started to fear her.

"Should we say something to her?" Kiki asked.

"Like what?" Himeko asked. The younger nurse shrugged.

"I don't know," she said. "Maybe ask if she's doing okay?" The other two nurses had nothing to say as they looked at each other.

"No good?" Kiki asked.

"No, no, it's fine," Arisa said. "I'll do it."

"Thank you," the young nurse said.

"Yeah…" Arisa said. She didn't sound too certain of her own words.

* * *

Meanwhile, the nurse smirked at Mikado. "What's the matter? You look like I'm about to kill you and eat you."

"A-A-Are you a ghost?" he asked. The nurse took a step forward.

"No," she said. "I work here. And I am very much alive." Mikado reached for his phone. The nurse smiled and shook her head.

"Don't bother," she said. "You're in a dead zone. Cell phones don't work here. You can't contact your little friends with tadpole radio." The tadpole's eyes widened but tried to stay still. The nurse walked over and circled Mikado with a sharp eye on him.

"Interesting," she said. "What do we have here? Something human, but yet not human at the same time. So this is what an actual tadpole looks like." Mikado flinched as he jumped backwards.

"Who are you?!" he asked. "How do you know about me?" The nurse smirked and took a step back.

"Oh, where are my manners?" she asked. "My name is Joe Brooker. I am the nurse tending to your little friend downstairs. And which one are you?"

"Ryugamine Mikado," the tadpole said. "Why am I up here? There is no fourth floor in this hospital. Where is this place?" Joe smirked as tossed a small knife at him. Mikado caught it without blinking.

"Ah, quick with your reflexes," she said. "Just as I pictured."

"What did you mean before?" he asked.

"Excuse me?" Joe asked back. Mikado pressed his lips together.

"What you said before," he said. "You said I was human, but not human. What do you mean by that?"

"You don't know?" the nurse asked.

"No…" Mikado said. Joe smirked and tried not to laugh.

"What?" he asked. The nurse flipped back her long black hair.

"You are being watched," she said.

"What?!" Mikado asked.

"Oh yes," Joe said. " _We_  all are! We have been watching you since your awakening. We want to see all that you can do. Some of us want to see you as gods of the new world. You have been growing up nicely. I myself am so curious you." She walked up and caressed his right cheek.

"You are all still so young," she said. "You're like sweet little prepubescent children. So young, so tender. You still have more growth." Joe wrapped her arms around the boy. Her hot breath touched his ear.

"Please… stop touching me," Mikado said. The tadpole began trembling. Joe looked him in the eye.

"Now, why are you here?" she asked. "I brought you here because I wanted to see you for myself." Mikado's body screamed to push her off. Why couldn't he move?

"Let me go," he said.

"Sorry," the nurse said. "My hands are in control of themselves." It was then Mikado got a good look at the nurse's eyes. There were red cloudy rings around the irises. Her eyes looked really dull and lifeless. The tadpole wrinkled his nose.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"I'm a nurse," Joe said.

"Who are you really?" the tadpole asked. The nurse smirked.

"Heh," she said. "This has been fun, but I have to get back to work." Joe let go of him. She started walking back down the opposite end of the hall. But then, she paused and looked over her shoulder.

"Oh and may I remind you that there are some of us that hate you," Joe said. "Oh yes. They are crying out for your blood. So I would watch your back if I was you." Mikado didn't have to stick around for anymore. He turned and bolted towards the elevator. The tadpole pressed the down button as fast as he could. To his surprise, the doors finally opened. Mikado ran in as fast as he could. He closed the doors behind and hit the down button. The tadpole's head tried to keep up with what was happening. He closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead.

_I have to warn the others before it's too late._

* * *

Mikado hurried back to his friends in the hallway. He grabbed Masaomi on the arm, shaking him.

"Kida-kun, wake up!" he shouted. "Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!" His best friend slowly opened his eyes. He noticed the worried look on Mikado's face.

"Mikado?" Masaomi asked. "What's the matter? What's going on?" The tadpole moved his hand to his chest.

"I am in trouble," Mikado said. "Serious trouble. We all are." Masaomi leaned forward with a concerned look on his face.

"What are you talking about?" he asked. "What happened?" His best friend broke down trembling.

* * *

Back at Rampo Biotech, Junko finished up with the last batch of Biddy Early needed to complete phase one of the Angel Project. She smiled as she looked at the capped needle.

"I will be reclaiming you really soon, F," the nurse said to herself. She snickered as she packed the filled needle into a small silver case.


	14. Rite of Spring

Halo Thirteen: Rite of Spring:

Part I: Adoration of the Earth

I: Introduction

-Woman in Red-

Do you want to hear a story? Let me take you on a scary ride. This is a tale about the beginning of the end. The people of Ikebukuro cannot see what is coming for them. Only a few know. Some try to stop me while others try to free me. There are a few steps to me taken before I can be brought into the living world.

That is not what this story is about, however.

No, I am here to talk about another creature that stemmed from Kitano's quest to create the perfect witness to my destruction, albeit an accident. This creature wasn't supposed to exist. But, she came about through her will to live. Ah, yes. The will to live. Humans have this would things turn dire for them. When they try to end it all, they hesitate. For the will to live tries to stop them. They want death, but that little will to live tries to intervene. Sometimes, it is successful, but other times, it fails. This particular creature's will to live warped her into a hideous beast that won't die.

For years, they kept her in that cage in the basement. They fed her the bodies of the failed tadpoles. She couldn't have been happy with her imprisonment. Probably why she left her body and disappeared.

That was until tonight.

* * *

II: Escape (Augurs of Spring)

_They are trying to kill me._

Chiharu's eyes snapped open. Every inch of her being screamed at her to run.  _I have to get out of here._  She looked down at her left arm. The needle from the IV drip was still buried in the skin. She had a good feeling that this was the medicine that her doctor had prescribed her weeks earlier. The pain was reaching high levels through her body. She could feel her muscles starting to cramp. It felt like a heavy weight was pushing down on her.

Chiharu gritted her teeth.

She tried to move, but her body felt so stiff. After about five minutes, Chiharu decided to take a different approach.  _Move my little finger._  She tried to move her pinky finger on her right hand. No sensation and no movement.

_Move my little finger._

Chiharu's brain wouldn't give up. She finally had a little bit of success with moving her right pinky finger. Relief washed over her, but she didn't have time to celebrate. Now that she could move her pinky, she had to move the rest of her body. It took afford, but she was able to pull out the IV and climb out of bed. But when she tried to stand, her legs felt like rubber and jello.

"Whoa," she mumbled to herself. Chiharu grabbed onto the bed to steady herself. She took in slow, heavy breaths. The patient forced herself to walk. She clinched her teeth as the sensation of needles burned through her bare feet. That didn't stop her from walking. She breathed heavier as she kept walking.

_I just have to get to the front desk and make a break for it._

The hallway looked like it was spinning and blurry. Chiharu felt like puking, but even that didn't stop her. She pressed her hands to the wall, ignoring the pain from the pressure.

"And do you think you're going?" a loud British accent asked. Chiharu lifted her head. Joe stood on the other end of the hall. The patient gulped down a mouthful of air.

"Home," Chiharu forced out. "I want to go home."

"You're not fit to go anywhere, I'm afraid," the nurse said.

"I don't care!" the patient shouted. "I am going home." Chiharu pushed herself to keep walking.

"Back to your bed," Joe commanded. Chiharu tried to run past the nurse in front of her. Joe grabbed her by the arm. The patient tried her best to smack her away.

"Let me go!" Chiharu screamed. "Get off me!"

"Security!" the nurse shouted. "I need some help here!" Chiharu kicked and pushed back as she was wrestled to the floor.

"Take your hands off of me or I will have you up for assault!" she screamed. She finally lunged forward and bit Joe on the arm. The nurse screamed and let go of the patient. Chiharu scrambled to her feet as she took off running down the hall.

"Security!" Joe shouted from the floor. "Stop her! We have an escaped patient! Don't let her out of this hospital!" Meanwhile, Chiharu ran past the front desk and made it to the glass doors. She couldn't pay any mind to the cramps in her legs and the screaming behind her. The adrenaline kept her going until she made it outside of the hospital.

Chiharu had to drag herself along to keep going.

* * *

III: Gate of Light (Ritual of Abduction)

Tiresias stood in front of Sakura Hotel Ikebukuro. She smiled at the air around her.

"Here it is," she said. The blind woman reached for a pin in her light brown hair. Her fingertips had just touched the feathery top when she froze.

"Who's there?" she asked. She listened as the footsteps on the pavement grew closer. Tiresias lowered her arms.

"Kai is that you?" she asked. Her ears picked up on a man snickering behind her. He gave her a slow clap.

"Well done," Kai said. "Well done. Just as sharp as ever." Tiresias turned to face him.

"I will not let you stop me!" she shouted. Kai stepped forward.

"I cannot let you open that gate," he said.

"This game has got to stop," she said. "You are going to kill everyone in this city!"

"I know!" Kai said.

"Then why do you do this?" Tiresias asked. The demon all but laughed as he heard out his arms.

"Don't you know?" he asked. The demon vanished into thin air. The blind woman strained her ears with her hand to her hair. She paused with the rotting hot breath against her nape. Her blind eyes behind her shades widened as Kai smiled with his razor-sharp teeth gleaming in the dim morning.

"This is the dawn of our new kingdom!" he shouted. "And I won't let you ruin that!" The demon reached for the silvery-blue pins in her hair. Tiresias whipped around and kicked Kai in the legs. He fell to the ground, pulling her light brown bun loose. She managed to catch her pins before they fell and flew away. Kai lay on his side, growling.

"You bitch!" he snapped. The demon raced forward and tackled the blind woman to the ground. Tiresias would not give. Her mind only stayed on one task.

_I have to get to the doors. This is my only shot!_

Tiresias's face turned down towards Kai trying to rip her pins out of her hand.

"Give me those pins!" he shouted.

"Never!" she yelled. The blind woman used her strength to push him off long enough to crawl towards the glass doors. Kai grabbed onto her right ankle.

"Get off!" she yelled. Tiresias kicked him in the face and pulled out one of her silvery blue hair pins in her hand. One shot to get this. The blind woman through the tiny hair pin at the glass doors. The little piece stood up straight and landed into the ground.

"No!" Kai shouted. Tiresias smirked as he desperately ran over to the pin in the ground. He screamed as he touched the feathery tip. The blind woman sat up with the help of her elbow.

"Ha got it!" she said. Tiresias jumped to her feet. "Once the pin goes into the ground, nobody can take it out. Not even me." Kai growled as he whipped around to her.

"And how do you get this out?" he asked. The blind woman all but laughed.

"You don't," she said.

"What?!" the demon barked.

"Once my pins go into the ground, nothing can take them out until they have completely collected the energy from the gate," Tiresias said. She stretched her arms above her head.

"Yes, my work here is done," the blind woman said. "You have a good day, kind sir." Then, Tiresias disappears into thin air. Kai growled as he slammed his fist into the side of the building. He didn't even care about the huge hole he left behind.

* * *

IV: Minotaur (Spring Rounds)

Shizuo sat in the darkness of his news surroundings. His old self still hadn't return. The minotaur didn't even have memories of when he was human anymore. He could only remember that woman.

Her laughter haunted his dreams. She mocked and took delight in his pain. He could only see her hands and that twist smile with her crooked teeth. Her voice sounded so distorted. The last clear thing he heard her say was, "Do you want to play? Let's play."

The zip ties came off and he couldn't even stand. His legs felt so weak under him. She pulled out two look razor sharp machete blades. From then on, it became a game of bull fighting. Shizuo was already worn out. He could barely remind on his feet. Most of the skin on his legs had been torn off, exposing muscle and bone. The bull head felt so heavy on his shoulders. He couldn't really see too well either.

Eighteen rounds they went. It must have been that many times. She didn't seem to want to quit. It wasn't enough for her to turn him into a beast and murder everyone dear to him. That woman was determined to wear him down before she killed him. She teased him with her blades with that manic grin of hers. He will never get those crooked teeth out of his head.

But, he wasn't ready to accept death as his fate. Even as a beast, the will to live didn't abandon him. There was so much this minotaur could take before reaching his breaking point. He didn't remember what she said, but that was all it took to drive his horn through her chest. Shizuo slumped against the bar and panted heavily.

It would be hours before Tom and Vorona found him in his basement bar prison. Now, Shizuo is imprisoned in the basement of Yagiri Pharmaceuticals.

* * *

V: Panic (Ritual of the Rival Tribes)

Outside made things worse. Chiharu felt like she was choking as she walked. She had to press her hands against the brick walls to keep her standing. Her head felt like it was spinning. The whispering in her ears didn't help. Chiharu gritted her teeth.

"Shut up!" she screamed. "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" Chiharu screamed as she started punching a wall. She didn't care about all of the blood staining the bricks. The girl fell to her knees, screaming.

Suddenly, Chiharu realized that she wasn't alone.

She slowly lifted her head. A group of young girls dressed in white, red, and gold robes stood inches away from her on the street. Their skin looked so pale that Chiharu could see through them. Their painted faces couldn't hide them laughing at her pain. The girl gritted her teeth.

"Stop laughing at me!" she yelled. "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" Chiharu grabbed her hair and started screaming.

* * *

Meanwhile in Russia Sushi, Mikado paused and lowered his chopsticks. Masaomi turned his head.

"What's the matter, man?" he asked.

"Hashimoto-san's in trouble," Mikado said in a low voice.

"How can you tell?" Masaomi asked. The tadpole boy bolt from his seat at the bar and ran out the door.

"Mikado-kun!" Anri shouted. Masaomi looked over at Simon with a nervous look on his face. He pulled out a big wad of money and slammed it on the counter.

"Keep the change!" he shouted as he too ran out the door. Anri, Noriko, and Simon were left looking so confused.

* * *

VI: Servitude (Procession of the Sage: The Sage)

Aoba gritted his teeth as he in Izaya's office. The information broker left him a list of things to do while he was out for the day. The boy looked at the sheet of paper as he tried to swallow down his vomit. How the hell did it come to this? Yesterday morning, there was a knock on his door.

"Aoba-kun!" his mother yelled. "Your boss is here to see you!" The boy sat up with a puzzled look on his face.  _What the hell was she talking about?_

Aoba got out of bed and got dressed. When he got to the front door, his nightmare grew worse. To his horror, Izaya stood outside, smiling.

"Yo," he said. Aoba wrinkled his nose.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he whispered. Izaya raised an eyebrow at him.

"Now is that any way to talk to your boss?" he asked. Aoba gave him a strange look.

"What are you talking about?" he asked. The information broker grinned as he patted the boy on the head.

"Starting today, you will be my new Namie!" he said.

"What?" Aoba asked. It took its sweet time to sink into his brain. Izaya knelt down to his face.

"You work for me now," he said. The former founder of the Blue Squares struggled to speak for a good ten minutes.

"Huh?!" he asked.

"You owe me, remember?" Izaya asked. "This is your payment for the information on my sister you had me dig up." The gravity of his deal with the devil finally sank into Aoba's brain. All of the color drained from his face as he sank to his knees.

"Oh shit…" was all that he could say. "Oh shit…" Izaya helped him to his feet.

"Come on," he said. "You have a busy day ahead of you." The information broker had to pull his new employee along with him. It donned on Aoba how much worse this was going to get. If this was what Izaya was going to do to him, what was Ran cooking up for payment for protection?

Aoba's stomach turned at the thought.

* * *

This would not do. The last thing Aoba needed was another Orihara bossing him around. He had to find a way to get Mairu back into existence and rescue what was left of his sanity. Aoba sighed and rubbed his forehead. He could hear Kaori laughing at him again.

Oh yeah, her.

Aoba swore to himself that if he ever saw her again that he would choke the life out of that bitch. She was the reason that he was in this mess in the first place. She killed his gang, erased Mairu from existence, and turned Kururi into a mega bitch. Aoba looked at the window with the urge to punch anything.

His revenge would be the sweetest, most beautiful thing that he had ever witnessed. For now, he would have to be his rival's servant. That's going to be a riot.

* * *

VII: Coming Storm (Dance of the Earth)

-Dragon Brothers-

The fantastical storm is on its way. Tandeki hasn't found the sixth gate yet, but they will. Their drive to end the living world will bring us to our brother. Brother! Brother! Come and find us! Brother! Brother! We are waiting for you! Brother! Brother! Brother!

* * *

Part II: The Sacrifice

I: Introduction

-Woman in Red-

Day turns into night.

The dizzying darkness threatens to swallow that creature whole. The drugs have all but consumed her brain. Mental stability circling down the drain. Going home became next to impossible. Her feet were getting sore. Does she even know where she's going? How long can she manage? She doesn't know how to trust. She can already smell the blood feeling her nose. When will she have to feed again? The savage in her is trying to claw its way back. The tadpole and his friend are desperately look for her. I don't think they will make it in time.

I know they won't.

Meanwhile, more brothers and sisters are coming back together. There reckoning in coming and they don't know it.

All of the pieces are lined up. It just takes that one little push to fall into place.

That's going to happen… right about… now.

* * *

II: Seduction (Mystic Circles of the Young Girls)

Kururi had her own plans. She used her brother's database to track down Izumii Ran at his last known address. Aoba needed a little bit of discipline to keep him in check. Plus, it wouldn't help to have more allies on her side.

Kururi knocked on Ran's apartment door. She had the stoic look of her former self as the door opened. Ran looked down at her with his eyes narrowed behind his shades.

"What?" he asked. Kururi looked him in the eye.

"Are you alone?" she asked.

"Who's asking?" Ran asked.

"Do you know who I am?" Kururi asked. Ran narrowed his eyes.

"Not really," he said.

"May I come in?" she asked. She angled her breasts so that he would get a clear look at her cleavage through her black halter top. Ran didn't look fazed at first.

"Whatever," he said. He turned and walked into the apartment. Kururi followed him inside, closing the door behind her. Ran stopped in the living room.

"Okay, cut the bullshit," he said. "Why are you here?" Kururi raised her eyebrow.

"You don't mess around, do you?" she asked.

"What do you want?" Ran asked. Kururi stepped forward with a smile on her face.

"I'm just a sweet little teenage girl in need of some protection," she said. The whole time she showed off her cleavage. Ran gave her a strange look.

"Protection from what?" he asked. Kururi leaned up against him. Her head rested on his chest.

"Nii-san has made so many enemies," she said in an innocent-sounding voice. "I'm just scared one of them will attack little old me." She looked him in the eye.

"You look so big and strong," Kururi added. It donned on him who he was dealing with.

"Are you Orihara's sister?" he asked.

"Uh-huh," she said in a dreamy tone.

"Did he send you here?" the gangster asked.

"No," Kururi said. She lets go and held out her arms.

"I came here by myself," she said. "You can frisk me to see if I have any wires on me."

"Nah, I'm good," Ran said. Kururi giggled.

"Please be my protector?" she asked. She somewhat managed to get Ran sitting back on the couch. The girl smirked as she sank down between his legs. The gangster saw where this was heading but decided to let it play out. Kururi looked him in the eye as she unzipped his jeans. She lowered head with an open mouth. Ran's own moaning circled the room. When did Izaya's sister become so… "skilled"? The gangster threw back his head and moaned louder.

Like Izaya, Kururi does her homework. She heard from a little birdy that he had a taste for teenage girls even though he didn't trust females in general. Kururi had to play through this with such care. Lucky her, she had some "practice" on the younger brother.

After the climax, Ran lay back panting and covered in sweat. Kururi lifted her head and licked her lips. She didn't even hesitate to swallow. Ran glanced down at the teenage girl. Her lips covered into a smile.

"Well?" she asked. The gangster smirked.

"I'm onto you," he said. "But, you are rather fun to play with. I might be of use to protect you." Kururi rose to her feet and sat in his lap. This reminded him of another thought.

"You're Aoba's girlfriend too, aren't you?" Ran asked. Kururi rested her head against his chest.

"Mm-hm," she said. The girl could feel his heart beating against her cheek.

"We cannot tell Aoba-kun either," she whispered. "This will be our little secret." Somehow, the gangster liked the sound of that.

III: Dizzying Madness (Glorification of the Chosen One)

* * *

How long had it been? Chiharu seemed to be wandering aimlessly through the city. The nausea grew worse. She swallowed hard to keep from dry heaving. Chiharu pushed herself to keep moving. It felt like her heart was pounding out of her chest. She gritted her teeth.

_I have to get home. I have to get home!_

Chiharu dragged her feet along as she kept walking. It didn't help that the city she had known for so long started to blend together in her blurry vision.

* * *

Mikado and Masaomi met up in front of the fountain.

"You haven't found her yet either, have you?" Mikado asked.

"No," Masaomi said. "You haven't either?" His friend bit down on his thumb.

"Oh…" he mumbled. Texting the Dollars wouldn't help because it would be too late to act by then. He didn't have the Blue Squares anymore either.

"What should we do now?" Masaomi asked.

"Hang on," Mikado said. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number that he could use.

"Hello, Kurosawa-san," he said. "I'm sorry to call you so late, but we need your help."

"What do you need?" Madoka asked on the other line.

"We're looking for a friend of ours," Mikado said. "Could you go on the roof of your place and see where she is? You should see a girl walking around on the streets in hospital clothes. Can you help us?" There was a pause over the phone.

"I'll try," Madoka said at last.

"Thank you," Mikado said. He hung and breathed a sigh of relief.

* * *

Meanwhile, Junko sat in her basement office of Rampo Biotech. She smiled as she closed her sliver case shut. The nurse pulled out her phone and looked at the screen.

"The revival of F is near," she said to herself. Junko picked up her case and headed towards the elevator.

* * *

IV: The Russians (Evocation of the Ancestors)

Tandeki isn't the only one playing this apocalypse game.

Vozrozhdeniye is Russia's answer to them. Because of them, the Tadpole Project is still going on. They give them the money, Tandeki provides the results. But, they will never be friends. They do not trust each other.

Tandeki and Vozrozhdeniye will never be friends. It is only a working relationship fueled by envy. Tandeki has two strong advantages over their Russian counterparts: the tadpoles and the Dis Program. The Russians tried to get both, but they failed. Tandeki keeps getting the prime cuts of the cow.

Well, Vozrozhdeniye was determined to change that. For they were creating their own powerful super being. This one would rival the glorious tadpoles they so desperately coveted. They already had the basic formula down. They just needed the rest of the pieces.

Another plane from Russia would touch down by morning.

* * *

V: Confrontation (Ritual Action of the Ancestors)

Tatsuya stormed all the way to the doctor's office. He was already seeing fight as he walked through the glass doors.

"Sir, can I help you?" the receptionist asked. Tatsuya seemed to have the face of a demon.

"Where is Shizumu-sensei?" he asked in a low, growling voice. The girl behind the desk blinked at him.

"I'm sorry, do you have an appointment?" she asked.

"No, but I would just love to have a little take with him," he said.

"I'm afraid you can't do that, sir," the receptionist said. Tatsuya stuck up his nose and walked straight down the hall.

"Sir, you can't just do that!" the receptionist shouted after him. Tatsuya flipped her off as he walked off. He made his way to Shizumu-sensei's office and forced open the door. The doctor was doing paperwork at his desk when he saw Tatsuya standing in the doorway with a mean face.

"Hashimoto… -san?" he asked. Tatsuya marched over to him and slammed the empty little brown bottle on the desk. All of the color drained from the doctor's face.

"What the hell is this?" he asked. "What the hell did give my sister?" Shizumu-sensei's eyes shifted away from him.

"Medicine!" he blurted out. "I just gave her some medicine!" Tatsuya gritted his teeth.

"Don't fucking lie to me," he growled. "You've been poisoning her. Why? Why?!" The doctor's eyes darted towards the door. There would be no way he would be able to make it past this angry man. Tatsuya grabbed him by the coat.

"You better not be trying to kill her!" he shouted. "I will break your fucking neck! I'm not even scared to go to prison!" Shizumu-sensei's eyes widened.

"I was forced to give it to her!" he yelped.

"What?!" Tatsuya asked. His voice could be heard from the hall. The doctor dropped his head.

"I'm in real trouble," he admitted. "My mistress… She's pregnant."

"So what?!" Tatsuya asked.

"You don't understand," the doctor whimpered. "She's the wife of an Awakusu executive. If it's mine, he's going to kill me!" Tatsuya had a stone-cold look in his eyes.

"You poisoned Chiharu for because you couldn't keep it in your pants?" he asked. Shizumu-sensei wished that the ground could swallow him up.

"I'm so sorry!" he wailed. "Some lady blackmailed me into doing it! I didn't want to cause any harm to Hashimoto-chan! I really didn't! Believe me!"

"Do you even know what you gave her?" Tatsuya asked. The doctor frantically shook his head.

"I didn't ask this woman?!" the angry man asked.

"I was too scared," Shizumu-sensei said. "I just made the prescription and gave Hashimoto-chan the medicine." Tatsuya glared and dropped him on the floor.

"This isn't over yet," he hissed. Tatsuya turned and stormed out of the doctor's office.

* * *

VI: Final Dose (Sacrificial Dance)

Close to midnight, Chiharu wandered down to an abandoned alley way. Her whole body ached and she was worn down. The girl wanted to collapse onto the ground and just die.

But again, she wasn't alone.

Chiharu lifted her head in the darkness. "Who's there?" She turned her head when she heard snickering. Junko walked towards her, smirking.

"Well, well," she said. "This is my lucky day!" Chiharu felt sense of dread and fear rising from the pit of her stomach.

"You!" she barked. "You did this to me!"

"Aye," Junko said. The nurse held out her arms. "I welcome you to your revival, F-sama!"

"What are you talking about?!" Chiharu howled. She swallowed mouthfuls of air to keep herself from dry heaving. Junko smirked at her the results. It was so beautiful.

"I can see that my Biddy Early is working perfectly in your body," she said. Chiharu tried to look at her through her blurred vision. A weak flame of anger burned in her soul.

"It was you with that medicine?" she asked. "You had my doctor poison…" The poor girl had to force her mouth closed as the throwing up feeling returned to her mouth.

"Aye," Junko said. "In fact…" She knelt down and pulled out her small silver case. Chiharu watched as she opened it. Junko smirked as she pulled out the fresh full syringe. The patient shook her head, backing away.

"Oh no!" she shouted. "You are not putting that in me! Hell no!" The nurse smirked.

"It's too late for that, love," she said. Chiharu turned around and took off running. The nurse gave way to chase. This felt like foreplay.

"You won't get away from me!" she shouted. Junko caught up and grabbed Chiharu by the shoulder. Both of them went down hard onto the ground. Junko smirked with the needle in hand. Chiharu kicked her in the face. The nurse gritted her teeth.

"Feisty one, aren't you?" she asked. "No matter. This will make things more entertaining." Junko tried to pin down Chiharu to make the final dose. Her prey struggled, kicking, hitting and biting.

"Keep still!" Junko shouted. "There is no way out this for you!" This time, Chiharu kicked her back in the chest. The nurse sat up, gritted her teeth.

"You!" she yelled. Junko jumped forward and grabbed her prey again. In all honesty, she enjoyed attacking the little savage. It gave her such a thrill. The rush ran through her veins. As much fun as this game was, it was time to bring this all to a close. She had better things to do.

"Enough of the games!" Junko shouted. "Time to end this shite!" She kneed Chiharu in the stomach and used her wait to pin her down. The nurse took out the needle and stabbed her prey in the chest. Chiharu's body went limp as the last dose went into her heart. Junko climbed off, smirking.

"You have a good night, dear," she said. The nurse walked away laughing. The rain came pouring down as Chiharu's eyes clouded over.

* * *

It would be hours before Mikado and Masaomi find Chiharu lying on the ground, semi-conscious.

"Chiharu!" Masaomi yelled as he ran to her. He grabbed her by the shoulders, shaking her and shouting her name.

"Chiharu! Chiharu!" he shouted. Mikado took a step forward, but he froze. His nose caught an odd scent. It was the combination of rotting meat and corpses left out in the desert sun to dry.

_What is that smell?_

Mikado looked forward and spotted his answer.

"Hashimoto-san, what have they done to you?" he asked.


	15. F

Halo Fourteen: F:

-F-

I was slowly dying away back then. They kept me in a cage in the basement of Chou Mori. I hated my existence. I should have died when they injected me with that light green fluid. I felt all of it, the moment I died. I had a seizure. My heart stopped. I had even stopped breathing. I heard the disappointment in his voice as I passed away. That should have been it.

But somehow, I came back.

I came back to life on that basement floor among the pile of bodies. I was so weak that I couldn't move. But I heard everything just as clear as when I died. One by one, someone was taking the bodies and throwing them somewhere. My brain wasn't back, but I could still feel the fear seizing my chest. This caused me to start breathing like I have been running for miles.

That drew one of the orderlies' attention. His footsteps were a clear indication that my suffering would get worse. That pipe came down on my head about five or six times, yes I felt each blow, but I wouldn't die. He gave up on trying to kill me and stuffed me in a cage.

For days, I couldn't move. I lay there in that cold cage floating between death and life. They didn't know what to do with me. They couldn't kill no matter how many times they tried. Was this going to be my fate? Trapped in a cage for the rest of my life?

But then, an odd scent filled my nose. I couldn't describe it other than the faint smell of mental. One little sniff was it took for my body to convulse. I shook as I started panting heavily. Once that cage door was opened, I shot out and crawled to the source. I licked up that blood on the ground like it was life-giving water. In that moment, I had sealed my fate.

Now, they used me to dispose of all the rejects of their twisted experiments. I ate all of the bodies. Something inside of me wouldn't let me stop. The more I ate, the more I had to have. They were rather happy to keep feeding me. I hadn't seen what I looked like since I was first captured. I probably looked like a fright. But the more I ate, the more my body started to heal. I could move more freely and my breathing became stable. My senses became sharper. I could see and hear things much better. I grew accustomed to the taste of flesh and blood. (That was I could eat after all.)

But, I still couldn't speak.

I wasn't human anymore. I didn't act, think or speak like a human. I just knew that I was in a cage in a basement of Chou Mori. I wasn't alone either. More like me started to fill the basement. They too ate the bodies of the dead rejects. What did they want to do with us? Why were we made? I didn't want to think about the implications of our existence.

I tell you this as background to the decision I had made to survive.

Years later, I started to get back some of my humanity. I was more aware of my surroundings. The smells of the damp and blood made me want to vomit. They always kept the basement so dark. The classical music being played every day made me want to scream. I still couldn't speak. I grew to resent everything that I had become. I would not let myself be doomed to this life in this body forever.

So, I just simply left my body.

It didn't take so effect. My soul just left that hideous shell in its cage and flew away. That was the first time I saw what looked like. My skin looked so pale as my long black hair covered my face. Blood was stained on my clothes and my face. Such a sight made me shudder. I never wanted to see that body again.

With that, I flew away.

* * *

I flew above the city for months. It felt good to be in the sunlight again. The air smelt clean enough to shock me back into reality. Yes, this really did happen. I was free. I didn't know what I was going to do next. I didn't have to be in a cage anymore. Since I didn't have a body, I wouldn't need to eat corpses or blood anymore. I closed my eyes and took everything in.

I spent my days flying around Tokyo alone. I didn't have to suffer through classical music day in and day out. Plus, there was no screeching of beasts in pain either. The cities had changed so much in the years before I was kidnapped and turned into a beast. I didn't remember my life when I was human. That must have died when I died the first time. I didn't think much about it. I just relished in the freedom.

Over time, I started to get lonely. I couldn't explain what it was within me. I didn't exactly need a friend per say. Someone to talk to would be nice. Float around above the city can only go on for so long. I began to listen for someone, anyone to reach out to me. I didn't think someone would actually do it.

But one day, I heard the sound of a lady crying.

I looked down to see a bench near a park. I can't exactly remember where this took place, but it was near a hospital. I saw a woman sitting on the bench sobbing. My heart ached for her so much that I floated down towards her. I didn't think much about my appearance at the time. When the woman looked up, I paused. I had left my body years ago and was now a floating piece of empty space. What would she think of me?

To my surprise, she didn't look scared at all.

"Hello?" she asked. I got a good look at her from this angle. She had on a nice lavender dress suit with pearl and gold jewelry. Her dark brown hair came down to her shoulders. Tears didn't look good on her round face. I didn't know what to say at first.

"Uh… hello…" I said. "Why are you crying?" The woman wiped away her tears. She moved her hands to her belly.

"I lost my baby today," she said.

_What happened to it?_

"They said that the heart just stopped. The doctor said they don't know what caused it." Tears began to well up in her eyes. I gave her a puzzled look, not that she would be able to see my face.

_Do you want a baby?_

"Yes."

I don't know why did this next. It just popped out. I wasn't really thinking about it to be honest. I only realized what I had said after it came out.

_I… can be your baby._  Why did I say that? The woman of course gave me a strange look.

"What?" she asked. The way she asked that confirmed my fears.

_Too much?_

The woman nodded with tears in her eyes.

_So were you lying about wanting a baby before?_

She quickly shook her head. "No, no, no. I do still want another child. You just surprised me like that."

_Will you take me as your baby?_

"Yes."

_Thank you._  I bowed and disappeared back into the sky.

* * *

I ended up watching over this woman from the skies. She was an activist for mental patients. This woman worked to fight for the rights of the abuses taking place in Chou Mori. It's almost ironic that she was fighting to shut down the place that turned me into a monster. She wanted to get the patients the help that they needed and have they treated like human beings. This woman was happily married to a man who worked for the same causes she did. They had a son about six years old. He has his little friend made origami cranes for the new baby that died on the die I met his mother. The family lived outside of Ikebukuro in Shibuya. She went to the doctors in Ikebukuro for the baby because of better care. I think that was the reason. It's not relevant to the story.

I met that woman in April when the cherry blossoms were in full bloom. Three weeks later, she had her deceased baby removed from her womb. I saw the child's underdeveloped body. It would've been a boy and he would've been born in November. The woman kept a brave face in the days leading up to this moment. But at home, she broke down. One night, that woman cried for twenty minutes straight in what was going to be the baby's room. I wanted to reach out and comfort her.

We made a promise for me to become her new baby. When was I going to act on it? Through the spring and summer, no day felt right. First, I had to let her grieve. Her work seemed to help her keep going. I whispered to her to talk to someone about her loss. Aside from our promise, I had grown to care about this woman. I was realized that she finally talked to a support group about her miscarriage.

I grew closer to her and her family. But, I still felt distant from them. I didn't know how to describe why this was so. Probably because I was afraid of something. I couldn't put my finger on it. But, I knew that I couldn't keep her waiting. On November sixth, I made good on my end of the promise. This was the day that the other child would've been born. It just felt right to pick out that particular day. I remember that night so well too. I was floating above the city as per usual. Only, something was a little bit different. The hazy lights below came from couple in copulation. I couldn't see exact detail, just the hazy of outlines of people. It was then I had to go "home". The warmth drew me closer to that woman's apartment. I was drawn straight to her bedroom. She and her husband were in the middle of their own copulation while their son slept in his room across the hall. That woman lay on her back with her gaze at the ceiling. I felt myself descending towards her. I travelled down between her thighs.

"Come inside me," she whispered to her husband as it slowly grew dark around me.

* * *

It was like being in the cage in the basement, but this was different. Everything was dark. I was used to the darkness by now. Only, this place felt so much warmer. Like there was love surrounding me. If I could smile, I would. I made it in. She didn't know I was here yet. That woman would have that second child she wept over months earlier. I couldn't wait to feel her reaction.

Three weeks later, she started to feel the symptoms. I couldn't see or hear anything from inside of her. But, I could feel her emotions. At first, she felt uncertain about this happening for a third time to her. I predicted what was coming next. The test, the waiting, and the results. She did all of those and I felt her excitement run through my non-existent body. But with that excitement came fear.

_What if I lose this one too? I can't bear to lose another one. What will I do if that happens?_

It's okay. I won't go anywhere. You will carry me to full-term. I will see you in the summer.

That woman told her husband, I'm sure of it. I could only feel her emotions. I didn't even have a body. That was going to change gradually. At the moment, I rested in my warm cage. Every day, she kept watch over me through the doctors. I could hear how anxious she was. I wanted to give her some sign that I would survive and be born. The only thing I could do was wait.

The months wore on and my new body began to develop. This actually excited me. I could have feet and hands again. Every little body of me took shape. I had been so long since I had an actual body. It wasn't just my limbs forming either. My own heart started beating too. I began to hear the sounds of the outside as well. I could feel everything from the outside from that woman's belly. My warm cage wasn't so dark anymore. The soft colors washed over my little developing body. They didn't go slowly either. I had to struggle to keep up with each one. It felt like they were dancing. I moved around to take in the warmth around me. That woman would say that she could feel me kicking inside of her. I still couldn't see. My eyes hadn't fully developed yet. I was still happy to have a new home, family, and body of my own.

It all clicked together when that woman and her husband when in for a check-up about four to five months in. I could barely understand what was being said, but I felt how happy she was to see me on the screen for the first time. She held her husband's hand.

"It's so beautiful," she said. "I love it." Right then, I grew to call that woman 'mother', her husband 'father', and their son 'brother'. Mother would talk to me every day. She said that she loved me and couldn't wait to meet me. I felt the same way about her. As good as this sounded, I realized something around the end of the eighth month.

Once I was born, I would lose myself for good. I wouldn't remember all of my suffering back at Chou Mori. But, I wouldn't remember meeting my mother before she conceived me. I wouldn't remember watching over her life. I didn't know how I could handle this. I wanted to meet my mother again, but I wouldn't remember her anymore. After weeks of pondering this, I grew to accept this trade-off.

I was going to be born in July. Mother carried me to full term with no problems. There was a miscarriage scare about six weeks in, but I was fine. By the thirtieth, I knew that it was time. That day was supposed to be important to mother and father. She was going to give a speech at a luncheon today. I could feel how excited she was all day. Father tried to get her to calm down and take it easy.

"You look like you're about to pop at any moment now," he said. I loved the sound of my mother's laughter.

"I will be fine," she said. "I just need to do the speech and then I'll sit down. You don't have to worry about me." Father gave her a quick kiss.

"You're going to do good," he said.

"Thank you," my mother said.

"Are you ready to go?" my father asked.

"Yes," she said. He took her by the arm and off we went. The location of the luncheon felt so warm as I felt the sun shining down on mother's belly. She was mostly in a good mood talking to the people there. They touched the outside of my cage as they talked to me. Close to nine months and I still wasn't used to that. Luckily, my father got them off of me. The rest of the luncheon went well. I got to enjoy some of the food my mother ate. I could feel the butterflies in her stomach as she counted down to the speech. She's going to do well. I've seen her give the speech several times. This would be nothing new to her.

Finally, my mother goes up to the front and gives her speech to all of the people in the crowd. Just as predicted it starts off well. But then in the middle of it, her water broke. It was then I knew that the time had come. As my mother was rushed to the hospital, I readied myself to disappear and reborn as a human. I had already accepted that I wouldn't remember anything about myself or my time leading up to now. I took comfort in knowing that I would get to meet my mother again and embrace her love to the fullest. I am ready now.

Goodbye, brother.

Goodbye, father.

Goodbye, mother.

On July 30th at 9:57 p.m., a baby girl was born to Hashimoto-san and her husband. It was love at first sight to her mother. Once the chord was cut, life began.

The second-time parents named their new daughter Chiharu.


	16. Misery

Halo Fifteen: Misery:

Chiharu lay on the ground still out of it. Masaomi looked up at Mikado.

"What did you say?" he asked. Mikado didn't budge.

"She's not human anymore," he said.

"You're kidding," Masaomi said. The tadpole said nothing. Masaomi started to say something, but then turned back to Chiharu.

"What was that?" he asked. Chiharu's lips murmured as she spoke. The boys still heard her so clearly.

"Kill me."

"Hashimoto-san…"

"Please!" Tears started to form in her eyes. "It's the only way."

"What are you talking about?" Masaomi asked. Chiharu started trembling.

"If I turned into a monster, you have to promise that you will kill me," she begged.

"Chiharu…" Masaomi said.

"No!" she shouted. "You have to kill more before I turn into a monster! Kill me and dispose of my body!"

"What are you talking about?" he asked. "You're not making any sense." Chiharu trembled as she spoke.

"It's the only way," she said. "I don't want to go back there. I don't want to become a monster again."

"We won't let that happen," Masaomi said.

"I'm afraid it's too late," Mikado said in a low voice. His friend gave him a shocked look.

"Mikado, what are you saying?" he asked. The tadpole walked over and knelt down in front of Chiharu.

"However, you and I can still fight this," Mikado added. "We can't let the people who did this to win, do you understand?" Tears ran down Chiharu's cheeks.

"I'm just tired," she said.

"Is there anything we can do for you?" Mikado asked.

"Don't take me back to the hospital," she said. "I want to go home."

"Okay, we can do that," Masaomi said.

"Thank you," Chiharu whispered. Mikado and Masaomi helped her to her feet and made the long trip to her apartment. Mikado noticed that he couldn't hear her thoughts anymore.

* * *

-Satsu-

Satsu sat down at her laptop in the early morning hours. Aoi was sound asleep in their bed. Lately, the girlfriend wasn't too happy with the macabre material on DeathVine. Aoi treated her like she had a contiguous virus.

"What's the matter, baby?" Satsu asked. She reached out to touch her arm. Aoi reeled back. She quickly shook head.

"Come on," Satsu said.

"You have to stop," Aoi complained.

"Excuse me?" her girlfriend asked. Aoi looked up with desperate eyes.

"You're scaring me when you watch those horrible videos every night," she said. Satsu raised her eyebrow.

"What are you talking about?" she asked. "I'm still here. You haven't lost me. Come on…" Aoi kept her eyes on her burger and fries. Satsu sat back and sighed. Why couldn't her girlfriend understand her anymore? Aoi used to be cool with the dark and gory things. She didn't complain as much as she does now.

Satsu tried to push all of that out of her head and logged into her laptop. She took a quick look behind her. Aoi was sound of asleep. Satsu slowly breathed out. Best to make this latest trip as quick as possible. She clicked her browser on the desktop. Right away, a chat notification popped up on the right-hand side of her screen. They asked for a chat. Satsu didn't recognize the user name.

"Who's Pennywise 87?" she asked herself. She clicked "accept". The chat box popped up.

Queen of Darkness: Hello?

Satsu waited for a response. This Pennywise 87 person looked to be online. She took another look behind her. Aoi turned over in bed. The laptop light glowed against her long blonde hair. Even through the worry and complaining, Aoi wouldn't leave her. Satsu couldn't help but smile to herself.  _Such a good girl_ , thought. A soft ping in her earbuds drew her attention back to her screen. Pennywise was on the move.

Pennywise 87: Good evening.

Okay, starting off simple. Looks safe so far.

Queen of Darkness: How are you tonight?

Pennywise 87: I need some help.

Satsu narrowed her eyes at the screen.  _Huh?_

Queen of Darkness: What do you mean?

Pennywise took their time typing. Satsu waited with bated breath. Something in her told her to log out as fast she could.

Pennywise 87: I have an offer for you. I am part of this group for Fenrir. We are awaiting the apocalypse to be brought in by the Woman in Red. We are looking for new members.

Satsu had a confused look at the screen. Where did this come from? It felt like a left turn into OZ.

Queen of Darkness: Is this some online game?

Pennywise 87: No.

Queen of Darkness: RP?

Pennywise 87: No.

Queen of Darkness: LARP?

Pennywise 87: No.

Queen of Darkness: Look, I am not joining some cult. I don't believe in that shit. I have school and my girlfriend to think about.

Pennywise 87: We are not a cult.

Satsu gave the screen an odd look. What was this person talking about? Surely this couldn't be some prank at her expense, could it? She took a deep breath as she started typing.

Queen of Darkness: Is this some kind of a joke?

There was a pause. Then, Pennywise started typing.

Pennywise 87: Do you think we are joking here?

They attached a short video clip to their response. Curious, Satsu clicked on the video. A woman sat on her knees in her bra and panties. She had a sack over her head. The clip was grainy and had static jumps. Satsu rolled her eyes.  _Oh great, a cult ritual. This is not original._  Suddenly, a person in black stood over the woman with a knife in their hand. They raised the knife above their head. But then, the footage cut to black. For three seconds, there was nothing. Suddenly, a loud growling noise ripped through her ears. No, more like growling and a sped-up voice of a child singing loudly. Satsu jumped so fast that she about fell about of her chair. She sat back, panting.

"What the hell?" Satsu whispered to herself. Pennywise 87 had already logged off. She jumped up, logged out of the chat app, and shut down her laptop. Satsu turned to Aoi sound asleep in their bed. She walked and climbed in. Satsu pulled the sheets over her shoulders as she trembled.

"Maybe I should stay off of the creepy stuff for a while," she said to herself. But why did she get the feeling that this wasn't over?

* * *

-Morning Call-

-6:00 a.m.-

Chiharu lay asleep in her bed. Mikado and Masaomi got her home safely. To their surprise, Tatsuya wouldn't make her go back to the hospital.

"Just get her to her room," he said.

"Okay," the boys said. The three of them helped Chiharu to her room and put her to bed. She ended up sleeping off the rest of the morning.

Hours later, her phone rang. Chiharu reached around for her phone.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Good morning, Chiharu-chan! Or should I say F?" Junko said on the other line. The girl sat up straight in her bed.

"You!" she snapped.

"How are you feeling today?" the nurse asked.

"Really bad no thanks to you," Chiharu grumbled. Junko laughed over the phone.

"There, there," she said. "You've just been through the worst part. It's all just beginning."

"What are you talking about?" the girl asked.

"You must be getting hungry soon," Junko said. "You have to feed. And I don't mean human food either."

"Huh?" Chiharu asked. Suddenly, a sharp wave of pain shot through her stomach. She took in slow breaths before gasping.

"Do you feel it?" Junko asked. "It's the hunger! You will need to feed. Not people food mind, but flesh and blood." The girl's eyes grew big at first.

"Oh hell no!" she screamed.

"That's how it is with angels," the nurse said. Chiharu had confused look on her face.

"Angel?" she asked. "What are you talking about? What the hell did you do to me?!" The girl sank as the pain ripped through her stomach again.

"We will talk later," Junko said. She hung up before Chiharu could complain. The girl gritted her teeth as she looked at her phone. Another wave of pain ripped through her stomach. She huddled over, grinning the skin and screaming.

* * *

-Sota-

A girl with long black hair and glasses stared at Sota at her coffee table in the living room. What was with this boy? He just showed up beside her just as she was about to go into her apartment. Yesterday was supposed to be her last day. She had it all mapped out. One more happy day with her friends. They sang karaoke. The whole time she smiled while fighting back tears. She'd never get see them again, but she told herself that it was for the best for everyone.

"You guys are my best friends," she told them. Once they bid goodbye, from the karaoke bar, she would go home. The girl would write her suicide note and hang herself. Her parents were gone for the weekend. (Not they would've cared.) She'd have her phone off and the house disconnected. No more pain. No more suffering. It would all go black. Such a simple plan.

Then, he came into the picture.

The girl had just unlocked the door when she heard footsteps stopping next to her. She turned to see a boy with short dark hair under a blue and white helmet.

"Yo!" he said, waving. The girl blinked at him.

"Uh… can I help you?" she asked. Sota looked around for a bit before leaning in.

"I know what you are planning to do," he said in a low voice. The girl gave him a strange look.

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

"Do you really think suicide will make anything better?" he asked. The girl's eyes grew wide as the color drained from her face.

"H-H-How did you know?!" she asked. "Are you here to stop me?"

"Yes," Sota said without blinking. Now, he just won't leave. Today, he sat in front of her, drumming his fingers on the surface of the coffee table.

"How long are you staying by me like this?" the girl asked.

"Until you decide not to kill yourself," Sota said.

"And what if I don't?" she asked.

"Then I will keep staying with you until you do," he said. The tadpole wasn't playing when he said that. The poor girl shivered.

"Who are you?" she asked. Sota smiled and put his hands behind his head.

"Sota," he said. "And you are?" The girl lowered her eyes as she looked down at the table.

"Shizue," she mumbled. The tadpole boy smiled. Shizue shivered as she looked down at her hands. He had no plans of leaving this girl.

* * *

-Celty-

Celty was riding home after more experiments at Yagiri Pharmaceuticals. (She had to stay on another floor from the tadpoles while they had their own tests on them.) The building didn't feel right to her anymore. The dullahan felt cold spots at every corner. She could've sworn she saw a little girl running by in the hallway. None of the staff ever brought their children to work. Celty wasn't the only one either.

"It's always cold around the office," Emilia said once she wrapped up Celty's latest test.

[Is it the thermostat?], Celty typed.

"No," the researcher said. "The maintenance guy said everything looked fine. That's not the only thing either."

[What do you mean?], Celty typed. Emilia shook her head.

"It's really hard to say," she said. "But we always feel sick when we walk into this building. Two of the researchers are constantly having nose bleeds when they arrive. Shingen and I keep having headaches too. Then, there is the whispering."

[Whispering?]

"Yes. We can't make out what they are saying, but the recordings keep picking up something in the odd hours of the morning."

All of this didn't sit well with Celty. She began to think back to what Mika said earlier this month.

"They are going faster with their game than they have done in the past," she said. Remembering that filled the dullahan with a sense of urgency.

But then, she noticed that she wasn't alone much longer.

Celty had just pulled up to her apartment complex when she spotted a woman in a white and red dress smoking a cigarette. Her giant silver hammer leaned next to her. Her white hair came down to her shoulders. Celty had a confused look on her non-existent face as she carried off of Shooter and approached the woman. Just by looking at her something seemed off.

[Excuse me, are you waiting for somebody?] Celty typed on her PDA. The woman glanced over at her but said nothing. Her eyes looked so empty. Did she even see Celty's message?

[Who are you and what are you doing here?] the transporter typed. The woman took a drag before lowering her cigarette.

"Oh, you're home early," she said.

[What does that even mean? What are you doing here? Who are you?] It was then Celty had that uneasy tingling feeling in her stomach from when she was in Yagiri Pharmaceuticals.

[Wait… What are you?] Celty typed.

"I am a white demon," the woman said at last. "But I am nobody." She put out her cigarette and picked up her hammer. Celty shivered as the demon walked straight past her. Before she left, the woman looked over her shoulder.

"Oh and there is one more thing, Sturluson-san," she said. "There will be stronger demons coming to Ikebukuro." And with that, she was gone. The first thing Celty did after that was run up to the apartment to check on Shinra.

* * *

-Hunger Pains-

Chiharu sat on the bedroom floor, panting. Food lay scattered and half-chewed. Junko was right. The angel couldn't have people food anymore. Chiharu spent the morning at the 7-11 buying so much food to defy her new captor. She tried to eat anything and everything but ended up throwing it up. Chips, pocky, bread, cooked meat, sushi, fruit, vegetables, and chocolate. Her body couldn't take it. She couldn't even eat her favorite meal of Japanese-style hamburger. It didn't help that the pain in her stomach was getting worse.

She let out a pain-filled scream as she grabbed her head. All of F's memories started to fill her head. And it was only going to get worse in three days' time.


	17. Yukio

Halo Sixteen: Yukio:

Kai and Azazeal stood in front of Ikebukuro West Gate Park Fountain.

"This is taking too long," Kai complained. "Why isn't she here yet?"

"The end times will come like a thief in the night," Azazeal said. "You have to at least give them credit for coming this far."

"Yeah, but still. Can't we just nudge this game along a little bit?" the other demon asked.

"How do you mean?" his companion asked. Kai pointed up to a tree nearby.

"We can start with taking out that little nuisance!" he shouted. The demon held up his hand, palm up. He took a breath and threw the light at the doll. The little porcelain toy dressed in red silk exploded into little pieces. Kai breathed out.

"That makes me feel so much better," he said. Kai's eyes rolled back into his head as he felt the energy out the area flow through him.

"It's near!" he shouted. "I can feel it!"

"Let us see what happens next," Azazeal said. He too could feel the energy run through his body.

* * *

-Mari-

Mari sat at her possessed laptop tying away with a bored look on her face. Yoemon-sensei looked at her with a curious look.

"What's the matter, Mari-san?" he asked. The intern gave the screen a frosty look.

"Who are you?" she typed.

"I am Yoemon-sensei," the man on the screen said. "Or rather, I was him. He uploaded his consciousness into this program." Mari narrowed her eyes as she frowned.

"Such a thing is not possible," she typed.

"And what makes you say that?" he asked. Mari made a face.

"Don't you ever turn off?" she typed. The professor snickered and shook his head.

"No," he said. Mari's heart jumped into her throat when she read the response.

"You can't be serious…" She had to type and delete this several times before hitting enter. His next response was enough to make her stomach drop.

"I am."

Mari froze at the response on the screen. Yoemon-sensei appeared to be typing a response back to him. She swallowed down her vomit.

"I need a moment," the intern typed. Mari got up and walked away from her laptop. She walked all the way outside of her apartment. Once she was sure that she was alone, the intern pulled out her phone.

"It's starting to get out of hand," Mari said. "He won't turn off. He's taken over my laptop. I don't know how to kill his consciousness in the system."

"I'm surprised that you stopped avoiding my calls," Izaya said on the other line.

"I've been busy," she lied. "Please… help me! I'm starting to fear the worst."

"Alright," the information broker said, sighing. "Meet me out at Starbucks."

"Thank you," Mari said. "I will there in twenty minutes." She hung up and took a breath. Maybe she could try and stop this before things could get worse. The intern turned and walked back into her apartment.

She still had control of her phone for the time being.

* * *

-Yuzuru and Kai-

Yuzuru had just left Rampo Biotech and was about to head home for the day. When was the last time she read a good book? The Tandeki Group had been so busy lately. Some of the interns had taken to sleeping in some of the sleeping quarters on the upper floors.

Yuzuru always went home to her apartment. She didn't have much on her mind right now. Just dinner, a bath, a nice book, and going to bed. Yuzuru straightened up the bag on shoulder as she headed to the street. She walked past a man in a black hoodie and jeans with long blue hair. He leaned against a brick wall, smirking to himself.

"Good evening," he said. Yuzuru paused just as she was about to cross the street. She turned just as the man walked over to her.

"Yo," he said waving.

"I'm sorry, but do I know you?" she asked.

"No," the man said. "Where are my manners? My name is Kai. And you are?" She had that same stoic face that she always had.

"Marusa Yuzuru," she said. Kai narrowed his eyes.

"You look familiar," he said. "Have I seen you from somewhere?"

"I don't think so," she said.

"Yes, I have," Kai said. "I've seen you with those other women around the city. You carry a weird crystal around with you that floats, don't you?" Yuzuru eyed him.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"Just a friend," he said. "A friend on your side. I want the same thing you do."

"And that is?" Yuzuru asked. The streets looked just as crowded as they normally do around this hour. Nobody seemed to buy any attention to them. They just looked like two people talking to each other. Kai hadn't done anything to try and harm her. They were just talking.

"To bring the apocalypse," he said. "I am on your side. I am Team Tandeki!"

"Heh?" Yuzuru asked.

"But never mind," Kai said. "I want to help you win this game. In fact, I want to you show you something I found after destroying a few dolls."

"And what would that be?" she asked. Kai took hold of her arm.

"Come along and see," he whispered in her ear. The demon pulled her along with him before she could say another word.

* * *

-Yukio, Mikado, and Madoka-

Around seven in the evening, Madoka met up with Mikado near the park.

"How is she doing?" the older tadpole asked. Mikado shook his head.

"Not good," he said. "They changed her."

"What do you mean?" Madoka asked. "Is your friend like us now?" Mikado shook his head.

"I can't explain it," he said. "She smelt like a decaying corpse."

"A decaying corpse?" Madoka asked.

"She hasn't been in school in days," Mikado added. "Hashimoto-san says that she can't eat human food anymore, but she complains that her stomach is in pain."

"And you're sure that it's them?" she asked.

"Yes, I know it is," he said.

"Why would they do that to her?" Madoka asked.

"I don't know, but I don't like it," Mikado said. But then, they froze.

"Did you hear that?" Madoka asked.

"Yeah," he said. The tadpoles turned to see a group of thugs walking towards them. One… Two… Three… Four… Five, no six men made their way towards them.

"What should we do?" Madoka whispered. Mikado held out his arm.

"Stay calm," he said. The thugs circled the tadpoles.

"Well, well, well," one them with a lip ring and spiked hair said, stepping forward. "What do we have here?"

"Please, we don't want any trouble," Mikado said. The thugs had eyes of hungry hyenas. One of them had a Louisville Slugger on his shoulder. It didn't help that Mikado could see their inner demons on their shoulders. They didn't look too happy to see them either.

_They look like those tadpole freaks everyone was talking about._

_How much can we get for them?_

_Will they bleed if we hit them?_

_Let's just bear them and see._

Mikado looked over at Madoka. Unease rolled around them and they debated the best courses of action.

_Where can we run?_

_I don't know. I'm still looking._  Madoka's eyes darted around, calculating the best solution possible. The thug with the lip ring laughed.

"Trouble's already found you, little tadpoles!" he shouted. It was then Mikado noticed the red rings around his irises.

"He's possessed!" he shouted. Madoka whipped her head around.

"What?!" she asked. The tadpoles noticed the rest of the thugs had red rings around the irises as well.

"Oh shit!" Madoka said. Mikado stayed close to his tadpole sister. Suddenly, a sharp chill ran up their spines.

"Another one?" Madoka asked. She and Mikado looked out inches away. A young man in his later twenties stood staring at the other two tadpoles. His messy black hair made his skin look so pale in the darkness. His gray hoodie was open, revealing his black t-shirt. The young man observed the scene in front of him.

"Am I interrupting anything?" he asked.  _Are you guys okay?_  Madoka and Mikado quickly shook their heads. The thug with the lip ring glared at him.

"And who the fuck are you?!" he asked. The third tadpole put up his hands.

"Nobody," he said. "I am just nobody."

"Bullshit!" the thug yelled. "You're one of them, aren't you?" The young man put up his hands and shook his head.

"You got me!" he said. "But, I have to ask you something."

"What?" the possessed man asked. The young man's eyes seemed to turn dark.

"What is it you desire most?" he asked. The possessed gangster looked dazed with a smile on his face.

"To go to Todai," he said. One of his lackies broke down laughing.

"Like their going to let in someone who spray paints walls and vandalizes abandoned buildings," another thug said. The leader's face turned bright red.

"Shut up!" he yelled. The thug ran forward and threw the first punch.

"Asshole!" the thug yelled back. He threw back the punch. It didn't take long for a fight to break out. The young man ran over and grabbed Mikado and Madoka by the hands.

"Let's go!" he said. All three tadpoles vanished into thin air.

They appeared in an alley behind the Sunshine60 Building. Madoka and Mikado stared at their savior with puzzled looks on their faces.

"Everyone okay?" he asked.

"Yes," Madoka said.

"Who are you?" Mikado asked. The young man pushed his hair out of his eyes.

"Judging from what I felt earlier, you two are tadpoles as well, yes?" he asked.

"Yes… but who are you?" Mikado said.

"Ah, where are my manners?" their savior asked. "Miwa Yukio. As you saw with my powers, I make people reveal their deepest desires. And what about you? What can do you?" Madoka and Mikado debated on answering at first. It was nice to meet another tadpole like them but they didn't fully know his motives just yet. He could try and kill them out of insanity and rage like Satoshi.

"Ryugamine Mikado and I see people's inner demons," Mikado said at last.

"Kurosawa Madoka and I can see things from a long distance," Madoka said. Yukio looked at the pair closely. He pointed at Mikado.

"You, I don't remember," he said. "But, you I think I have seen at that god-awful place." He directed that statement at Madoka. She gave him a confused look.

"I don't think so…" she said. "But then again, all of memories of that place haven't come back yet." All three tadpoles shuddered at the mere thought of Chou Mori.

"Anyway, have either you two seen this beautiful lady?" Yukio asked. He pulled out a picture of a woman with long bright red hair. Her smile looked so painful. Mikado and Madoka took a look.

"No," they said.

"Darn it," Yukio said. "I know that she's here in this district. Maybe Saori was right."

"Who's Saori?" Mikado asked.

"She's another one of us," Yukio said.

"Who is she?" Madoka asked. "The woman in the picture? Is she your sister or something?" The older male tadpole gave her a small smile.

"She's a very special friend of mine," he said.

* * *

-The Past-

The three of them used to be so happy. Yukio was in love with both his girlfriend and her sister. He flirted around with them both, but the girlfriend was the one who made the first move. Her sister was a little hurt but was happy for them. The three of them were still together. They even dreamed of their futures together. The sister would find another boy and fall in love. The twins would marry their men and live next-door to each other. Their children would play together. They out the rest of their lives together.

One car accident on the way to the beach would uproot everything. Only Yukio, his girlfriend, her sister, and their friend survived the wreck. The friend ended up in a hospital in the city. Yukio and the twins ended up in Hell on earth.

Now, he's trying to find the sister to reconnect with her through the misery pulling them deeper into the Wasteland.

* * *

-Junko, Aya, and Etsuko-

Junko spent the whole week smiling. Aya sneered at her.

"What are you grinning for?" she asked in one of the laboratories in Rampo Biotech. The nurse turned to her with a big grin on her face.

"I awoke F," she said. "The Angel Project is well on it's way." The psychiatrist wrinkled her nose. Etsuko sat towards back making formulas and ignoring them.

"You're lying," Aya said. The nurse chuckled.

"Don't be mad because you aren't making any progress on your end," she said. "What do you do again?" Aya glared at her while putting hands on her hips.

"I am the one who keeps this project together, you know?" she asked.

"Could've fooled me," Junko said under her breath.

"What did you say?!" Aya snapped.

"Enough!" Etsuko snapped. The other two women looked up. The doctor turned her chair to face them.

"We don't have time for your petty fights," she said. "We are making really good progress for a change. Just stay focused on what you need to do. Understood?" Aya and Junko went quiet. The doctor turned to the nurse.

"You sure you have revived F?" she asked.

"Of course I did!" Junko said. "The drug took beautifully. She's already starting to feel the symptoms of the reverting process. It's only a matter of time before she gives in and starts to feed." Aya snorted and turned her head away.

"Okay," Etsuko said. She returned to her work. Junko felt like she was flying away with a huge grin on her face. Aya wanted to choke her out in that moment.

* * *

-The Sixth Gate-

Kai led the ladies to the big red Love statue in the square. He turned to his audience, grinning.

"Well, here it is," he said. "I found your sixth gate." Hecate and Lucy didn't look impressed.

"What do you think?" Hecate asked Yuzuru. She held up her crystal as it floated in the air. The nightcomer incepted the crystal as it defied gravity.

"You aren't trying to gyp us, are you?" Lucy asked. Kai raised his eyebrow.

"And why would I do that when I want the apocalypse to come as much as you do?" he asked. "Man, your mother trained you well in not trusting anyone." Lucy growled as she stormed towards him. Hecate held out her arm. The younger sister whipped her head around.

"Enough," Hecate said. "There is a faster way to do this." She held out her hand and closed her eyes. A quick jolt ran through her body.

"This is a gate," she said, opening her eyes.

"See?" Kai asked.

"Can you please be quiet?" Hecate asked. Kai put up his hands.

"Fine," he said. "I'm done here anyway. Have fun, ladies." Kai jumped up and vanished into thin air.

"Who was that?" Yui whispered to Yuzuru. Her fellow intern shook her head.

"Who cares? Let's just get this over with," Lucy said. Hecate already walked up to the sculpture.

"Hey, wait for me!" her sister yelled. Lucy ran to the other side. Both women touched the letters at the same time and closed their eyes. An intense amount of power where into the sculpture, making it glow bright red. Suddenly, the ground shook intensely. So hard that it could be confused with an earthquake. Hecate lowered her hand and smiled.

"One more gate to go," Lucy said. The nightcomers vanished when the ground stopped. Yui and Yuzuru headed back to Rampo Biotech.

* * *

-Satoru-

It had been weeks and he turned up nothing. Satoru flopped back onto the hotel bed. He tried to chase out the negative thoughts from his head.

_No, she's not dead. Quit thinking like that. You will find her! You just have to keep looking!_  Thing is, that's kind of hard to do when you have no leads.

That was until he got a text from a blocked number.


	18. Aftermath

Halo Seventeen: Aftermath:

-Itori and Saori-

The woman with the long red had just woken up in her basement apartment with a jolt down her spine. She rolled over in bed as she heard footsteps running towards the abandoned hotel over her. The woman sat up as the footsteps. She already knew what was coming next. A woman with two long braids appeared in front of the dust-covered bar. Her light pink jacket looked crooked over her light yellow dress. The red-headed woman rolled her eyes.

"Hello, Itori-chan," her guest said.

"How did you find me?" Itori asked. "You can't use your powers on me."

"I didn't," the woman said.

"Huh?" the redhead asked. Her guest pulled out her phone.

"I used my phone to track you down," she said. "I used your last known address in Roppongi. Your landlord said that you moved out. You didn't even pick up your things from your apartment. Then, I did some thinking. Where would you go to get away from us? It took a while, but here I am." She walked over to the bed and sat down next to Itori.

"Don't worry, I didn't tell him where you were," the woman said.

"Saori!" Itori said, groaning and throwing back her head.

"Don't you 'Saori' me!" Saori said with her hands on her hips. "You can't keep doing this to him. Avoiding him will not make the problem go away. He's really worried about you." Itori frowned as she stood up. She walked over to the small bathroom in the corner. Saori listened as the shower cut on. She knew this would happen. Still, she couldn't give up on Saori. She pulled out her phone. He pleaded with her to tell him if she found Itori. Saori frowned.

"Sorry, Yukio-kun," she said. "I made a promise…" Saori looked up when she heard the water cut off. Itori walked over of the bathroom cover in a towel. She frowned while drying her hair.

"You didn't come all this way just to try and guilt me to talk to him, did you?" Itori asked. Saori lowered her eyes.

"You know me that well, don't you?" she asked.

"Spit it out already," Itori said. She walked over to her closet and started picking what to wear for the day. The other tadpole closed her hands in her lap.

"They've done it," Saori said. "The sixth gate has been opened." Itori froze went a white top and burgundy skirt in her hands.

"You're kidding," she said.

"I wish I was," Saori said. She could feel her stomach turn again.

* * *

-Sixth Gate-

"Enough," Hecate said. "There is a faster way to do this." She held out her hand and closed her eyes. A quick jolt ran through her body.

"This is a gate," she said, opening her eyes.

"See?" Kai asked.

"Can you please be quiet?" Hecate asked. Kai put up his hands.

"Fine," he said. "I'm done here anyway. Have fun, ladies." Kai jumped up and vanished into thin air.

"Who was that?" Yui whispered to Yuzuru. Her fellow intern shook her head.

"Who cares? Let's just get this over with," Lucy said. Hecate already walked up to the sculpture.

"Hey, wait for me!" her sister yelled. Lucy ran to the other side. Both women touched the letters at the same time and closed their eyes. An intense amount of power where into the sculpture, making it glow bright red. Suddenly, the ground shook intensely. So hard that it could be confused with an earthquake. Hecate lowered her hand and smiled.

"One more gate to go," Lucy said. The nightcomers vanished when the ground stopped. Yui and Yuzuru headed back to Rampo Biotech.

Meanwhile, the sky turned a bright red for only a second. Silent howls filled the city. Both went by so quickly before everything went silent. But, it wasn't over.

The effects were strongly felt by the tadpoles and Chiharu.

Kai sat on the roof of the Tokyo Hands building and smirked. He held up five fingers and began counting down.

"Five… Four… Three… Two…" he said. The demon rose to his feet.

"One!" Kai shouted. The demon vanished into thin air as the storm began.

* * *

-Demon Caravan-

More demons are coming into Ikebukuro. These were not like the others from before. They were much stronger. These demons aren't just looking for bodies to possess. They want more than to cause mischief and destruction. Some of them are even out for blood.

More and more people can see these demons now. A drunken man was stumbling home in the middle of night when the air became colder around him. He could see his own breath as chill ran up his spine. The man turned when he heard a light flute sound. A parade of people came dancing down the street. Only these weren't people.

Their faces looked like demonic Noh masks. They had a glowing light around their bodies. Except for the bamboo flute that the leader played, the parade was silent. The drunken man stood with his eyes wide open.

"What the hell…?" he whispered. One demon in a white kimono stood and turned their head. The kitsune mask was enough to sober up the man into fear. The man turned around and ran down a narrow alley. The demon in white moved with in one step. Its prey froze as the predator appeared out of nowhere. The man didn't get a chance to scream. One slash to his throat and he was dead. The body fell to the ground with a thud.

The demon disappeared and reappeared back in its place in the parade.

* * *

-Angels and Tadpoles-

Opening the gate led to a new sensitivity with the tadpoles and Chiharu. Mikado was on his computer when a sharp pain ripped through his head. He felt the side of his head as he screamed.

"What's the matter?" Masaomi asked as he rushed to his side. Mikado to speak, but he could barely string together a coherent sentence. Anri crawled over to him.

"Get it together!" she cried. Mikado tried to catch his breath through the pain. His vision began to blur.

"What should we do?" Anri asked.

"Um… get him some pain killers!" Masaomi shouted. "Quickly!" Saika's mother jumped to her feet and raced to the bathroom. The leader of the Yellow Scarves rubbed on his friend's back. Suddenly, Mikado froze. He slowly lifted his head. All of the color drained from his face and blood ran from his nose. Masaomi drew back his hand.

"Are you okay?" he asked. Mikado slowly shook his head.

"Something bad has happened," he said in a hoarse voice. "I just felt it."

"What do you mean?" Masaomi asked. Anri came back into the room with the painkillers.

_Mikado? Mikado?_

Mikado froze.  _Nami?_

_Did you just have a headache? A really bad one?_

_Yeah. Did you feel it too?_

_I did. This isn't good._

_I know._

"Mikado? Mikado?" Masaomi asked. He tried to shake his friend to get his attention. That little shock of Azusa's power run through his body after touching his bare arm. It took all of Masaomi's self-control not to kiss his friend again.

"What's going on now?" Anri asked. Masaomi shook his head as if to say, "I have no idea."

"You guys," Mikado said at last. "The city is in danger."

"What are you talking about?" Anri asked. "Why is the city in danger?" Mikado began trembling.

"This is bad," he said. "This is really bad."

Mikado and the other tadpoles weren't the only ones to feel it.

Chiharu's pain increased the second the sixth gate opened. Hers was so bad that she threw her body against the wall, screaming.

"Chiharu?" Tatsuya asked as he walked into her room. His eyes widened as he saw his sister throwing herself around the room, screaming.

"Chiharu! Chiharu!" he shouted. Her brother ran into her room and grabbed her by the torso. She wouldn't stop screaming.

"Chiharu!" Tatsuya shouted. "Calm down! Calm down! It's me!" Suddenly, she went quiet. Her whole body went limp. Her brother rested her onto the floor.

"Chiharu?" he asked. "Can you hear me? Chiharu? Chiharu?" His sister looked up at him.

"Aniki?" she asked.

"Are you okay?" Tatsuya asked. The girl shook her head.

"No…" she said. Chiharu tried to get up, but he pushed her back down.

"Don't get up," he said. "Just stay down." She looked up at him with tired eyes. Chiharu could tell that he was starting to think that something was going on.

* * *

-Mika-

-7:00 a.m.-

Mika looked in the mirror.

Her right eye began throbbing again. She knew that her nightmares weren't just that.

"It's happening again," Mika murmured to herself. No, this was different. Tandeki had gotten more advanced than they have in the past. Michiko's plan to slow them down wasn't working.

"Mika?" she heard from the bedroom. "Are you okay in there?" His girlfriend took a breath. She's been keeping him in the dark about what's going on. At this rate, she will have no choice but tell him the truth. She didn't know how he would handle it. He already started to suspect that something really bad happened to Namie. Mika did her best to assure him that his sister was alright and that they would find her soon. But, she knew that was a lie. Mika didn't have time to dwell on that with the pending end of the world racing for them. As long as Seiji was safe and didn't know what was going on, everything was fine. But now, the situation has changed.

"Yes," she said. "I was just using the bathroom. "I'll be out in a minute!" Mikado and the other tadpoles probably felt it too. He would safe in Anri and Masaomi's hands. There was another issue that Mika started to remember. Now that there was only one gate left. The tadpoles would be drawn to each other. But, demons would be drawn to them too. Mika held her breath.

_They are coming for you and the others. Please be careful._

She turned and walked back to the bedroom with a smile on her face. Mika's too aware of somebody watching her.

* * *

-Saki-

-8:00 a.m.-

Saki had another vision of her death.

This had to be sometime in October. Saki was alone in the apartment. Kida was out somewhere at the time. Where wasn't important to the story. She had just finished eating dinner when there was pounding on the door. Curious, Saki slowly walked over to look out the peep hole.

"Who is it?" she asked. A boy about her age stood outside dressed in a grey hoodie. He paced around as if he was trying to hide from an invisible force chasing him. Instinct told Saki not to open the door and call the police.

"Can I help you?" she asked. The young man outside bit on his hand.

"I… I… I need your help," he said.

"What's the problem?" she asked. Her cell phone had to be all the back in the room she shared with Masaomi.

"Please!" the young man yelled. "Let me in! I need your help! They won't let me live if you don't!" Red flags rose up in her head. It didn't help when the young man tried to open the door.

"Let me in! Let me in! Let me in!" he shouted. Saki took in heavy breaths. Something told her that this was going to be it. But, she didn't try to run and hide. Suddenly, she heard a clicking noise in the door knob. He sounded like he was trying to pick the lock. Saki looked around for an escape. The only way out was through the front door. She wouldn't be able to reach her phone in time.  _Masaomi-kun… Masaomi-kun…_

It didn't take long for it to unlock. The door opened and a hand reached in and unlocked the chain. The young man had a shotgun pointed to her chest. Saki backed up with her hands up. Her would-be assailant had tears in his eyes.

"I'm so sorry," he said. "But I have to kill you." Saki stared at him with no emotion on her face.

"Why do you need to kill me?" she asked.

"Shut up!" the young man yelled. Saki slowly backed away with her hands up.

"I am not afraid of you," she said.

"Shut up!" he shouted. "Just shut up!" The barrel of the gun never left her. She took slow steps backwards as her would-be killer walked closer. He trembled with tears streaming down his face.

"You don't want to do this, do you?" she asked. The young man shook his head but kept his gun on her.

"Just shut up!" he shouted. "I don't want to do this! They are making me do it!"

"Who's making you?" the girl asked.

"Shut up!" the young man in the hoodie howled. His voice sounded choked up with pain. His grip started to loosen on his gun.

"I am not afraid of you," Saki replied. "It is you who is afraid."

"Shut up!" the young man shouted one last time. She couldn't remember what happened next. The seconds felt slow, but the time zipped by. The last thing Saki was saw her dead body with giant holes in her chest and face.

Did this already happen? Was it something yet to come? Why would anyone want to kill her? Either way, the vision made Saki shuddered.

* * *

-Tatsuya-

-10:00 a.m.-

He wanted answers.

"Tell me what is going on," he said. "Why is Chiharu acting like this?" Tatsuya had his eyes on Mikado and Masaomi sitting on the couch. The boys looked at each other at first. Chiharu's brother used her phone to invite them over with a text.

"I don't think you can understand what is going on," Mikado said in a low voice. Tatsuya folded his arms across his chest.

"Try me," he said. Mikado pressed his lips together.

"Chiharu has been poisoned," Masaomi spoke up.

"I figured that much," Tatsuya said. "I had a nice little talk with her scumbag doctor. I want to know why."

"She's being experimented on," Mikado muttered.

"What are you talking about?" the older brother asked. The tadpole boy looked him straight into the eye.

"She's like me," he said. "We're being experimented on by this group called the Tandeki Group." Tatsuya paused.

"Did you say the Tandeki Group?" he asked.

"Yes," Mikado said. The color drained from the man's face.

"Hang on," Tatsuya said. He turned and bolted out of the living room.

"Tatsuya?" Masaomi asked. Tatsuya came back with a big box of files. He set it down on the coffee table.

"Where do you want to start?" he asked.

* * *

-Don'yoku-

-Noon-

Henshuubyou, Fukan'yo, and Kyoei floated around in the sky when they felt the excitement running through their hearts.

"Can you feel that?" Kyoei asked. His brothers' eyes lit up.

"Brother!" they said. And low and behold the sound of light thunder drew their heads out to the skies. The dragons took on their human forms as a man dressed in a golden kimono with black hair tied back into a ponytail. His golden eyes stood out from his pale skin. Henshuubyou, Fukan'yo, and Kyoei fell to their knees at his feet.

"Brother!" the dragons said. The oldest dragon closed his eyes and smiled.

"I am home," he said. The skies grew darker for a moment and then cleared as the four dragons started flying around again.

* * *

-Chikako-

The cold kept following her around since last night.

Chikako couldn't focus on her work. The coroner had to force herself to smile and crack jokes like she normal did around her co-workers. But, her mentor could see through her mask.

"Is something wrong, Nakata?" Hirose-sensei asked.

"No," Chikako lied. Even though her mentor knew of her past, the coroner couldn't tell him the one thing that she forced herself to keep secret.

She's been able to see ghosts ever since she was a little girl. This morning autopsy reminded her of her father from her childhood. Her father was surrounded by a darkness that Chikako couldn't put into words. She always saw him with a bottle in his hand. His eyes were red with heavy bags under his eyes. Her father couldn't stand the light. He would sit in the living room in front of the TV during the night. Things got worse when her mother left.

"Are you sure?" Hirose-sensei asked. Chikako sighed and looked out the window.

"Do you remember when my father was arrested?" she asked.

"Yes, what about it?" he asked. The younger coroner sighed.

"Before that, I saw him walking around with a woman on his shoulders," she said. "I haven't told anyone until now." She looked up at her mentor. Part of her hoped that he would call her crazy or say that she was imagining it. Instead, he kept his focus on her.

"Was it that prostitute?" Hirose-sensei asked.

"Yes," Chikako said. She looked down at her hands.

"What else have you seen?" he asked. His protegee took in a deep breath.

"Where do you want me to start?" Chikako asked.

* * *

-Worry-

The opening of the sixth gate brought a new wave of worry over Masaomi. He looked down at his phone.

"Go and see Saki," Mikado told him. The blonde boy looked up to see his friend sitting on his futon staring at him. Masaomi shoved his phone into his pocket.

"I can't," he said.

"I will be fine," Mikado said. "I'm not going to break down. I have Anri here with me. I will be fine." Masaomi tilted his head.

"Are you sure?" he asked. Mikado stood up and walked over to his friend. He took him by the hands.

"I will be fine," he insisted. "Saki needs you more than me." Masaomi stared at him with big eyes. His friend had a point. He looked down at his phone in his pocket.

"At least let me stay with you tonight," Masaomi pleaded. "It will make me feel better." Mikado let go of his hands.

"Sure," he said. Masaomi pounded his head.

"Thank you," he said. The boy pulled out his phone and dialed up Saki.

* * *

-Itori, Saori, and Yukio-

Itori and Saori froze when that old chill ran down their spines.

"Is that him?" Itori asked. She sighed and flopped back onto her bed. Saori looked down at her.

"You can't keep running from you, you know?" she asked. Itori paused up her cheeks.

"Yeah, yeah," she mumbled.

"So this is where you have been hiding," a man's voice said. The women looked up to see Yukio standing near the old dusty bar.

"Hello, Itori-chan," he said. Itori sat up, staring. All of those years of pain started to fill her chest again. Saori stood up.

"I will leave you two alone," she said. The dark-haired woman walked past Yukio.

_Don't hurt her. She's been through enough._

_Understood._

Saori walked up the stairs and headed out of the bar apartment.

* * *

-The Shamed Ones-

A group of women in dark cloak stood in the middle of the streets. Nobody seemed to notice them. Impossible to see how with black cloaks and creep-looking masks. What do these women want? Why are they here? Why can't anyone see them?

Give it time, their meaning will become clear. The sixth gate allowed it to be so.

* * *

-Kitano and Satoru-

Satoru came across Kitano-sensei stabbed in the abdomen. The young man narrowed his eyes.

"You!" he shouted. How did Kitano-sensei end up like this? We will have to back up to when the fourth dragon reunited with his brothers in the sky.


	19. Don'yoku

Halo Eighteen: Don'yoku:

_I am Don'yoku, dragon of greed. Yes, all that glitters is gold on my body. I have missed my brother so much. I almost feared that I would never get to see them again. When that gate opened, I rushed forward and escaped back into the living world._

My brothers bowed before me.

"Brother!" they said. I closed my eyes and smiled.

"I am home," I said. Henshuubyou, Fukan'yo, and Kyoei ran forward and embraced me. I nearly fell over as I stumbled backwards.

"Hey!" I shouted. "Be careful! You'll knock me over!" My brothers looked up at me smiling. It felt good to be home.

"We just missed you," Henshuubyou said with tears in his eyes. I patted him on the back of his head.

"I missed you too," I said.

Down below, the humans could feel our reunion.

* * *

-Heartseed Effects-

Kitano had just walked into Room 608 when he noticed something odd. The Heartseed plant was glowing a light pink.

"Hm?" he asked. Kitano reached into his coated and pulled out his small leather brown book. He flipped it open and started looking through hi notes.

_He never kept his patient information or any data on the Tadpole project on any computers. The therapist had a love-hate relationship with modern technology. Due to his… arrangement with Vozrozhdeniye, Kitano keeps everything on paper._

Kitano's finger settled on the note "Oyamatsumi= pink". Ah, yes. He remembered it well. The therapist and Etsuko all gave the test subjects small plastic cups of pink liquid for a course of thirty days with the other drugs in the project. Kitano looked at the Heartseed plant glowing pink.

"So I see," he said. "What will my little pets experience next?" Kitano shoved his book into his coat and took a sample of the heartseed's juices.

* * *

Megumi sat in her living room with a pissed off look on her face. One. Ten. Twenty-four. Thirty-five. Forty-five. Practically every bottle of alcohol she had in her apartment. She gritted her teeth.

"Why?!" she shouted. "Why?!" Megumi threw an empty bottle of sake across the room. The glass hit the wall and broke into pieces. She panted as the rage started taking over. Megumi whipped her head around as her phone rang.

"What?!" she snapped after answering it.

"You okay?" Shingen asked on the other line.

"No!" Megumi snapped. "I can't get drunk anymore!"

"Ah, you've noticed the changes too, I see," he said.

"What changes?" The tadpole sighed as she rubbed her forehead.

"We were looking at your blood sample this morning and found little pink crystal-like bubbles forming at alarming rates."

"Enzymes in the blood, right?"

"Yes."

Megumi groaned and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Damn it. Do the others know?"

"We ware informing them as we speak. There is something else too."

"Something else?" she asked.

"There is a high amount of white blood cells in your blood now. We don't know what it means yet. It could be good, it could be bad. We don't know yet. We will keep doing the research."

Megumi dropped her hand by her side. "Are you saying that we can't get sick anymore?"

"That seems possible," Shingen said. The tadpole flopped back onto the floor.

"I can't get drunk or get sick," she muttered. "Great… There goes another thing that I love so much. I can't fuck anyone without killing them and now I can't get drunk anymore. Lovely." Megumi looked at the pile of empty cans and bottles on the other side of the room.

* * *

-Kitano and Izaya-

"What did you do to Shizuo-chan?" Izaya asked in Kitano's office. The therapist didn't look up from his computer.

"Nothing," he said. The information broker turned from the window to face the therapist at his desk.

"Then how come I haven't seen or heard from him lately?" Izaya asked. "Don't get me wrong, I despise him. But it's been quiet around Ikebukuro lately. Too quiet."

"Hm…" Kitano said. Izaya frowned. He had all of the information in the world at his fingertips, but this therapist was like an iron fortress. Izaya couldn't get information on the Tadpole Project itself. The only thing he could get his paws on was Aida Satoshi and Kubuishi Azusa's files. Kitano gave him those just to appease him long enough to keep him from asking any more questions. Every time Izaya got close to a lead, the therapist seemed to change it to keep the information out of his reach.

"I have been seeing Tom-san and Vorona-chan walking around the city without Shizuo-chan as of late," he went on. "Sure, Vorona-chan can hold her own. But, I am starting to hear rumors."

"Rumors?" Kitano asked. He didn't look fazed at all.

"Just the usual like Shizuo-chan just arrested and put in jail in another district," Izaya said. "Or that somebody finally did him in." He all but laughed at the latter.

"I checked every morgue and jail in Tokyo. He isn't in either one," Izaya added. "Even his brother doesn't know where he is."

"Go on…" the therapist said.

"I did a little thinking," Izaya added. "Whenever someone turns up dead or missing, nine times out of ten, you are involved."

"And tenth time?"

Izaya ignored his quip. "What did you do to Shizuo-chan?"

Kitano glanced up at the information broker. "I told you  _I_ didn't do anything to him. Talk to Asato-sensei. I just merely gave her permission to handle him." He noticed the unsatisfied look on Izaya's face.

"Look, Orihara-san," Kitano said. "I do not control my inner circle. They act to help influence this game. It is true that I do my parts, but they act on their own. I just grant them permission. Anything else?"

"No..." Izaya said. Kitano straighten up his black-framed glasses.

"Now let me ask you something," he said. Izaya looked puzzled.

"What?" he asked. Kitano's face resembled a demonic Noh mask as he stared the information broker down.

"You wouldn't do something stupid like spy on me for the Russians, would you?"

"No," Izaya said. Kitano raised his eyebrow.

"Vozrozhdeniye may be giving us money to work on the Tadpole Project, but it is not wise to trust them so freely," he said.

"Is it wise to trust  _you_?" Izaya asked.

"Your choice," Kitano said. "Just know that once you make your decision, you can't turn back." Izaya clicked his tongue. After hearing this man speak, he started to like him even less.

* * *

-Itori and Yukio-

"Why did you come here?" Itori asked.

"I had to find you again," Yukio said. He took off his shoes walked over to her bed.

"How long are you going to keep running away from me?" he asked. "You can't keep do this. It's not going to go away." Itori lower her head.

"I am not Satomi-chan," she said.

"I am not asking you to be your sister. I just want you." She gave him a sad smile.

"But that's the only reason you try to hang onto me, isn't it?" she asked.

"That's not true!"

"You aren't a good liar, you know that?"

A sweat drop formed on the back of Yukio's head as he nervously laughed. "It's not like that, I swear it!" Itori frowned at him.

"It might have been the case in the beginning, but I really do love you. I loved both of you since we met. So please quit running away from me. I want to help you." Itori gritted her teeth.

"I am not a broken little lamb for you to fix," she growled.

"I know," he said. "But you must have felt it too." She went quiet as she lowered her eyes.

"The others will be coming here and those bastards are at it again."

"No..." Itori said. Yukio pulled her into his arms.

"We have to find our brothers and sisters," he whispered in her ear. "Please, you have to help us. If not for me, do it for Saori-chan and them. They don't deserve this nightmare anymore. We lost Satomi-chan, but we can save the others."

"You are an asshole," Itori said in low voice.

"I can live with that," Yukio said. Itori glared at him. Why did he have to be so charming? It annoyed her at times.

* * *

-Tandeki's History-

"What is all of this?" Masaomi asked as he looked at the big box on the coffee table.

"My parents had been looking into information about Chou Mori for some time now," Tatsuya. He took a seat in front of the boys.

"Ma was an activist for mental patient rights," he said. "Chou Mori was her great white whale.

"She and your dad were murdered because of it?" Mikado asked.

"Yes," Tatsuya said. He pulled out one file and set it in front of them.

"From 1993 to 2007, there have been a string of mysterious deaths," he said. "They are starting up again. I added the latest ones myself." Mikado took the file and started reading. Masaomi leaned over for a look.

1993: Thirty-five-year-old man found dead in parking garage. He was bound and gagged in the front seat of his car. No visible injuries. Culprit was never caught.

1995: Forty-one-year-old man found beaten to death in his bed. According to police and friends, he said that someone was following him. His doors were nailed shut from the inside and he slept with a bat by his futon. But, the kitchen window was left open. Culprit was never caught.

1998: Twenty-nine-year old woman goes missing. She was last seen in the parking lot of a closed 7-11. Her pager was found in the trash and had been wiped. Woman's friends and mother said that she had no known enemies. However, they said that she had been stressed out at work. Her boss said that she wanted to run away, but her mother said it didn't sound like her. Woman still hasn't been found.

1999: Eighteen-year-old girl goes missing. She was last seen leaving a friend's party. Her car was left abandoned on the side of a mountain road. Nothing had been taken and the keys were left in the ignition. None of the windows were broken. Pager was found in the bushes with no battery and had been wiped cleaned. Mother said that she received strange calls after her daughter's disappearance. Police believed it to be prank calls. Girl still hasn't been found.

2003: Couple dies in car accident. They were leaving an all-night bakery. The wreck took place at a stoplight. Upon close inspection, it is revealed that the brakes had been trampled with. There was no sign of the other driver in sight and the footage from CT cameras was grainy. There other car which was totaled looked like it was ridged to drive itself. Culprit was never caught.

2007: Fifty-two-year-old woman was found strangled and beaten to death in her home. Nothing was taken from the home and the place was ransacked. One suspect was caught three days later. He was a local heroin addict who had been in and out of prison over the past ten years since he was fifteen. Suspect had been left in a holding cell overnight. The next morning, the police found himself hanging from the bars. Police came under scrutiny for letting the only lead commit suicide on their watch. Even so, some still found the death to be suspicious and that the suspect might not have been the real culprit. Case remains open.

"Here's one more for you," Tatsuya said. "You will know this one." He slid the newspaper article over to Mikado and Masaomi. The boys immediately recognized the headlines. It really didn't take much when they saw Fuchigami Mariko's picture by the text.

"That's the nurse that was murdered last August," Masaomi said.

"Are these all connect to Chou Mori somehow?" Mikado asked.

"Yes," Tatsuya said. He pointed to Mariko's picture.

"She was nurse there from 1997 to 2006," the man added. "Except for my parents in the car accident, everyone of these were therapists, doctors, nurses, or orderlies at that damned hospital."

"Are you saying they were killed to cover up something?" Masaomi asked.

"Yes," Tatsuya said.

"Can we have copies of these?" Mikado asked.

"Of course," the man said.

"Thank you," the tadpole said.

* * *

-Kururi-

The queen bee has everything she wanted. Many boys ogled her while many girls wanted to be her. Thanks to her older brother, she had information on everyone around the city. The mean girls of the school became part of her posse. Aoba was her boyfriend and she was banging Ran on the side. Couple that with good grades and her charm with words, Kururi was the princess of her junior class.

That's probably why her latest scheme came into play.

"Orihara-chan," the teacher said one day after class. Kururi turned her head as she walked out the of the classroom.

"Yes sir?" she asked.

"Can I see you for a minute?" the teacher asked. Kururi turned back to the desk.

"Is something wrong?" she asked. The teacher shook his head.

"No, I just need your help with a particular student," he said. Kururi raised her eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Her name is Noda Chiyomi," the teacher explained. "She's shy and doesn't seem to have any friends. Some of the teachers think that she's being bullied here. I tried to talk to her this morning, but she seems too afraid to speak up. I have seen cruel things written on her desk over the past two weeks." Kururi gave her teacher a strange look.

"Okay…" she said. "What about her?" The teacher took in a deep breath.

"Could you just be a friend to her?" he asked. "It doesn't have to be a long-time thing. Just until she has her confidence up." First, Kururi gave him an odd look. Then, she shrugged her shoulders.

"Sure," she said. That's how Chiyomi ended up hanging out with Kururi and posse. Now, Chiyomi seemed a little bit awkward compared to her new prettier "friends". She would sit alone on the edge of the table across from Aoba. Granted, the girl looked pretty cute. Her light brown hair was tied up into two pigtails on the sides of her head. Her deep green eyes looked lovely. She didn't talk much but seemed pretty nice.

Kururi's posse wasn't having it though.

"Why does she have to hang around with us?" one of the girls asked.

"She's too weird," another said.

"She's kind of gross," a third said. The complaints went on around Kururi's head. Aoba was half-listening to them. Chiyomi lowered her head as if she was ready to cry. The queen bee shushed everyone in the group. Her posse eyed intently. Kururi leaned in close to the girls.

"I have a plan for her," she whispered. At first, her girls didn't understand. When the queen bee smirked, it all started to click.

"Ah," they whispered back.

"What's the plan?" Tsukiyama asked. Kururi put her hands behind her head and smiled.

"Why don't you stick around and find out," she said. Aoba caught every word of that and didn't like how her plan sounded.

* * *

-One Collects Voices-

Mikado and Masaomi left the Hashimoto apartment around noon. They carried the files in their arms. Neither boy said anything. They didn't even make eye contact. At least, they had a lead to bring an end the Tandeki's plans.

The boys passed a group of policemen gathered around the body of the drunken man in the alley. Masaomi slowed down his pace.

"What's going on over there?" he asked. Mikado turned his head. The boys walked over for a closer look. A detective was talking two officers on the scene. The body was already covered in a sheet. Mikado could hear every word they were saying.

"Who found the body?"

"A couple of delinquents in the area. One of them tried to rob the man's wallet. They freaked out when they that huge gash on the man's throat."

"I don't blame them. Any id on the vic?"

"Murakami, I believe. The Kanji is a little bit hard to read with my eye sight."

Mikado found himself distracted by something behind the men. A girl dressed in a black dress with long white hair drew back the sheet from the body to reveal the face. She pulled out a long wand-like instrument and held it over the dead man's mouth.

"Kida-kun, look!" Mikado whispered, tapping his friend on the arm.

"Huh?" Masaomi asked as he looked up. "What am I looking at?"

"You don't see that girl standing over that body?" Mikado asked.

"No…" his friend said. The tadpole boy turned to him with a confused look on his face.

"What?" he asked. "But she's right there." Mikado turned and saw the girl standing over the body with the stick in her hand. She stared intently at her work. A white cloud-like mist floated from the mouth and into the stick. It happened so fast, but Mikado saw it. What was she doing to that dead man? The girl finally looked up at the boys.

"Oh," Mikado muttered. The detective on the scene looked up and saw them.

"There is nothing to see here," he said. "Move it along. Move it along." Mikado and Masaomi left without incident. The tadpole couldn't help but wonder who that girl was and what she was doing with that dead man on the ground.

* * *

-Mikage-

There was another memory that Mikage started to have.

Izaya staggered over to the gym covered in blood with injuries all over his body. He pounded on the glass door. Blood streaked the surface.

"Help me!" he screamed. "Help!" Mikage couldn't hear him at first. She ran over to the locked doors. Before she could unlock them, something or someone stabbed Izaya in the back. One… Two… Four… Six… Thirteen. He fell dead at the doors. Mikage couldn't see who finished him off. The last thing she could remember was a menacing grin outside.

It didn't make sense. Izaya was usually so agile and wouldn't let himself get killed like that. It had to be a false memory. There's no way he would let his guard down so easily. But she couldn't shake the feeling.

"What have you gotten yourself into this time, you idiot?" Mikage muttered under her breath. She looked at the number that Mari gave her on her last visit. Time to make another call… again.

* * *

-Azazeal-

Azazeal found his way to Shintomi Nursing Home in Tsukiji. He vanished and appeared in front of the front desk. He cleared his throat to the receptionist on the phone. She about fell out of her chair when she saw him.

"Hello, miss," he said.

"I'm so sorry, have you been waiting long?" the woman asked.

"No," the demon said. "I just got here. I'm here to see an old friend of the family. Do you know which room Kurosawa Haruki is in?"

"Sure, hang on," the receptionist said. She turned to her computer and typed in the data. Azazeal tried to look at her screen.

"Let's see. Kurosawa… Kurosawa… Kurosawa… Ah, here it is," she said. "He's in Room 108."

"Thank you," Azazeal said. He bowed and walked down the hall.

"Who was that?" the receptionist asked herself.

Azazeal knocked on the door of Room 108 as he listened. He could hear groaning inside. The demon disappeared from the hall and reappeared in the old man's room. He found the patient laying up in his bed in a daze. Drool ran down the side of his mouth and his eyes looked so empty. Such a sad sight. Azazeal shook his head and walked over to the bed. The old man didn't stir. The demon looked down at his target.

"I know who you are and what you want to tell her," he said in a whisper. The old man didn't stir, but Azazeal could see a little life in his half-dead eyes.

"It is not right that you are a prisoner in your own body," he said. "I am here to free you." A small choked up gasp escaped from the old man's mouth. Azazeal placed his fingertips on the old man's wrinkled and spotted forehead as his eyes rolled back into his head. He chanted under his breath. The old man's body started glowing a light orange as he gasped. He tensed up before going limp in bed. Azazeal drew back his fingers. Haruki's eyes moved up to his "savior". He wanted to speak, but the demon put his finger to his lips. Azazeal waved bye-bye before he vanished into thin air.

One down, one more to go.

* * *

-Kitano and Satoru-

Kitano sat in his office, brooding. "Orihara started asking questions again." Etsuko glanced over her shoulder.

"About the Tadpole project?" she asked.

"About Heiwajima-san," the therapist said. "Which reminds me, I think that he's spying on us."

"For who?" Etsuko asked.

"It's not from Vozrozhdeniye, that's for sure," Kitano said, thinking. "They would've made off with our pets and the Dis Program by now." The doctor turned to face him.

"You think that it's someone from the outside?" she asked.

"It wouldn't be the first time someone from the outside tried to sabotage the game," he said. "All I can say is to be very careful." Another thought crossed his mind.

"Oh yes, the Oyamatsumi has taken full effect now," Kitano said.

"Yes," Etsuko said. "I saw the plant today."

"Beautiful, wasn't it?" he asked.

"Yes," she said. Kitano leaned back into his chair.

"Let's give the plant three more days before we up the dosages again," he said.

"Yes sir," Etsuko said.

* * *

On the other side of town, Satoru made it back to his hotel room. It had been weeks and he turned up nothing. Satoru flopped back onto the bed. He tried to chase out the negative thoughts from his head.

_No, she's not dead. Quit thinking like that. You will find her! You just have to keep looking!_  Thing is, that's kind of hard to do when you have no leads.

That was until he got a text from a blocked number.

"Huh?" he asked. Satoru opened the message. It didn't take him long to go running out the door.

* * *

Kitano had just walked out of Rampo Biotech for the night. He closed the door but paused. He snickered to himself.

"We meet again, old friend," the therapist said. "You may try and kill me all you want, but you can't stop what's already begun. You can't stop my pets and their growth. They will bear witness to the Woman in Red's glorious destruction. Go on, kill me if you want. You can't stop it. You are too late."

Stab!

* * *

Satoru walked through the streets with his phone in his hand. If he could get to Rampo Biotech, he would finally have the answers that he was looking for. The directions came across as confusing as he read them about ten times. Still, he was willing to take anything at this point. He just hoped that he wasn't too late.

After what felt like forever, Satoru finally came across Rampo Biotech. He pulled up the text on his phone and scrolled down. The front of the building looked just like the one in the picture in the message.

"There!" he shouted. The young man ran across the street to the building. Satoru came across Kitano-sensei stabbed in the abdomen. The young man narrowed his eyes.

"You!" he shouted. Kitano looked up as he clutched the wound in his abdomen.

"Who are you?" he asked. Satoru knelt down and showed him the text.

"Are you my sister's therapist?" he asked.

"Huh?" the therapist asked. Satoru pulled up the picture of his sister on his phone.

"This girl!" he shouted. "Do you know where she is?" He moved the phone closer to the bleeding man. Kitano tried to look through his blurred vision.

"Look at her! Look at her!" Satoru shouted. Kitano chuckled.

"I think I have," he said.

"Where is she?" the young man asked. "Tell me where she is!" The therapist's breathing became labored.

"Get me back into the building and I will tell you," Kitano forced out. "My partner is a doctor and she can help me."

"Why can't you call an ambulance?" Satoru asked.

"Don't have a phone," the therapist said. "I'm dying here and I can't help you like this. Just get me inside. Please? I can't die just yet." Satoru gritted his teeth. This started to feel like a bust. But, something in him wouldn't like this go. He puffed up his cheeks.

"Fine," Satoru muttered. He shoved his phone into his pocket. The young man helped the therapist to his feet and dragged him back into Rampo Biotech.


	20. Madoka

Halo Nineteen: Madoka:

The phone call came about ten in the morning on a Sunday. Madoka's grandma was out visiting friends in the countryside for the day.

"Hello?" Madoka asked.

"Is Kurosawa-san in right now?" a man's voice asked.

"My grandmother's not in right now," the tadpole said. "I can take a message if you want."

"Oh," the man said. "Is this her granddaughter?"

"Yes, did something happen?" Madoka asked.

"Your grandfather's condition has changed," the man said. "He's able to speak again and is conscious." The receiver hit the kitchen floor.

"Hello? Hello?" the man asked. Madoka trembled as she picked up the phone again.

"W-W-When did this happen?" she asked.

"Last night," the man said. "We couldn't believe it ourselves. This morning, he asked a nurse for water. She was so shocked that she ran out his room and called the doctor. He answered our questions and knew he name, family, where he was, and what the date was."

"How did this happen?" Madoka asked.

"We don't know," the man said. "But he asked to you especially." Her eyes widened.

"Me?" she asked. "What for?"

"He wouldn't say," he said. "Your grandfather just said that he needed to talk to you as soon as he can." Madoka pressed her lips together as the opportunity that just fell into her lap.

"Okay," she said. "Thank you." The young woman hung up with trembling hands. She packed up a bag, left a note for her grandmother, and headed out the door.

* * *

-Mikado, Chiharu, and Masaomi-

Mikado started feel more of his memories coming back. The tests back in Chou Mori. The electric shocks to the head. Pills and strange liquid down his throat. Needles going into his body. Being strapped down to a metal bed. A gag strapped around his mouth and head. Yayoi trying to get into his pants. The overpowering smell of bleach. Remembering those hellish months in Chou Mori made his skin crawl.

But, that wasn't the only memory he had.

Chiharu sometimes had headphones on while sitting in a corner of the room. But, she wasn't playing any music. They weren't even plugged up to anything.

Mikado had to find out what that was about.

He and Masaomi made it back to Chiharu's apartment. Mikado knocked on the door. They've done this before, haven't they?

"Hey Kida-kun," Mikado said.

"Hm?" his friend asked. The tadpole boy shifted his shoulders for a bit.

"Have you been having strange memories lately?" he asked. Masaomi narrowed his eyes.

"Strange memories?" he asked. Mikado slowly nodded.

"Yes," his friend said. Masaomi took a moment to think.

"No," he said.

"You haven't?" Mikado asked. His friend shook his head.

"Hm…" the tadpole boy said. Masaomi's thoughts didn't indicate that he was hiding the truth from his best friend. Mostly, he thought about Saki. Mikado put his hand on his friend's shoulder.

"She will be fine," he said. Masaomi stared at him with big eyes. He was about to speak when they heard the door opening. Both boys were in for a shock. Chiharu looked like death walking on two legs. She looked pale that she could almost be mistaken for a ghost. She was barely holding onto the door frame. Did she lose weight? No, she was just wearing clothes this morning. The bags under her eyes aged her face by thirty years.

"Masaomi? Mikado?" she asked. Her voice was so hoarse that it barely came above a whisper. The boys struggled to speak at first.

"How have you been?" Masaomi asked.

"I want to die," Chiharu muttered.

"Oh…" he said.

"Uh… I got a box of tapes just before Christmas," Mikado said. "Did you get the same thing?" Masaomi turned his heard when he heard "box of tapes". Chiharu looked at her friends with a tired look on her face.

"Follow me," she mumbled. Mikado and Masaomi followed Chiharu inside.

"How are you holding up really?" Mikado asked as they walked down the hall.

"I want to die," she said again.

"I figured that," he said. "But have you been having any strange memories lately?" Chiharu froze at his question.

"Memories?" she asked.

"Yes," Mikado said. They reached her bedroom door.

"Yeah," Chiharu mumbled. She turned the metal door knob and pushed open the door. Inside looked so dim. She didn't even have the blinds open.

"Why is it so dark in here?" Masaomi asked as he looked around. He walked over to the window above her bed and reached out for the light green curtains.

"Please!" Chiharu shouted. "Don't do that." She trembled as she grabbed her right arm. "It… It hurts my eyes." Masaomi drew back his hand.

"That bad, how?" he asked. Chiharu shivered.

"Where did you put the box?" Mikado asked.

"It's under my bed," she answered.

"Thanks," he said. Mikado walked over to the bed for a look. Chiharu turned her head.

"Yes," she said. The girl paused. "I have been having… strange memories." Mikado reached for the back-left corner of the bed.

"Like what?" he asked in a serious tone. Chiharu looked down at her arm.

"I was in a cage in a basement," she said. "It was dark. And… And…" Chiharu's stomach turned. The next words out of her mouth felt like metal spiking the inside. Her nails dug into her arm.

"I could smell blood," she muttered. Chiharu felt like dry heaving. Mikado stood up with the cardboard box in his arms.

"Was it at Chou Mori?" he asked.

"Yes," Chiharu said. Masaomi looked back and forth between his friends.

"Wait… were you both at Chou Mori together?" he asked.

"No," Chiharu and Mikado were quick to say. She shook her head.

"I think I was there earlier than he was," Chiharu said. Suddenly, her right hand broke down into trembling on its own. Her fingers twitched spider-like by her side.

"Chi?" Masaomi asked when he took notice. Chiharu grabbed her hand and nervously chuckled.

"Oh," she said. "You just saw my little hand trick."

"Hashimoto…" Mikado said. She sadly shook her head.

"No, no," she said. "It's really just the first sign of me reverting back. Next it will be incoherent screaming and pretty soon I will be turned back into an animal-like creature unable to think or act human anymore." Tears began to form in her eyes.

"I can't even eat people food anymore," Chiharu lamented. "I tried to eat, but I end up throwing it up. I can't even eat hamburger anymore."

"Isn't there any way to fix it?" Masaomi asked.

"No," she said. She felt her body trembling all over as she sat back onto her body. "I will be stuck like this forever." Mikado took his seat next to her.

"We will at least try to find something out about all of this," he said in a low voice. The tadpole held up his hand before she could speak.

"Let's just got through your tapes first, okay?" Mikado said. Chiharu looked down at her hands.

"Alright," she said.

"Very good," Mikado said. The whole time, Masaomi felt out of place. He too started to have his own questions about all of this. Maybe this could help him find a way to save Saki before it was too late. He walked over to the bed and sat down with his friends.

* * *

-Madoka-

While on the train, Madoka's own memories started to come back to her. Before she ended up at Chou Mori, there was another old man who hung around the house. She couldn't see his face, but something about him made her so nervous at a young age.

Madoka rubbed her forehead.

"Excuse me," a lady's voice said beside her. "Excuse me." Madoka turned her head. A woman in her thirties held her briefcase to her chest.

"Um… Is this seat taken?" she asked. Madoka shook her head. She looked out the window as the train whizzed by. Being able to see every detail in front of her reminded her of more memories swimming to the surface. Her little head was tilted back as a small plastic cup of pink liquid was poured down her throat. Wires were connected to the sides of her head. An injection placed under her tongue. Pills being put into the little girl's mouth.

Madoka shivered at the thought. She had to find out what her grandfather had to say.

She made it Tsukiji just a little bit after noon. This place felt so peaceful. Tsukiji looked like the place where nothing bad happened. An elderly couple smiled and waved at her as they walked by. Madoka awkwardly smiled back and waved. There was no time to get lost in the peaceful façade.

Madoka made her way to Shintomi Nursing Home. She could hear and feel her heart pounding against her chest. The home was busy inside from what she could hear. Her grandfather sat in his room with an anxious look on his face. Room 108. That shouldn't be much of a problem. She was his granddaughter after all. Madoka took a breath and walked inside. The receptionist looked up and noticed her walk up to the desk.

"Good afternoon," she said.

"I am just here to see my grandfather," Madoka said. She turned and walked down the hall before the receptionist could say at word.

"Miss?" the older woman asked after her. Madoka waved her off as she kept walking faster. She finally made it to Room 108 and knocked on the door.

"Come in," an old man's voice said. Madoka held her breath and opened the door. She found her grandfather sitting on his bed. Haruki's eyes lit up when he saw the young woman standing in the doorway.

"Madoka-chan? Madoka-chan, is that you?" he asked. The young woman bowed her head.

"Yes," she said. "It's me. I am here." Haruki looked overjoyed at first, but then he drew back, frowning.

"Is  _she_  with you?" he asked. Madoka shook her head.

"I came here alone," she said. "She doesn't even know about your condition. Grandma's out with some friends in the countryside. How are you able to talk and move around like this?"

"It's so weird," Haruki said. "A man dressed in a black coat touched me on the forehead." He touched his own forehead.

"A jolt shot through my body and suddenly I felt better," he said. Madoka's stomach filled with unease.

"Right…" she said. "What did you want to tell me?" Haruki's face became grim.

"Please close the door behind you and come closer," he said. His granddaughter closed the door behind her and walked over to the bed. The old man didn't hold back.

"I don't know how long I am going to stay like this," he said. "So I am going to say this now."

"Grandpa…" Madoka said.

"No, listen!" he said. Haruki slammed his fist on the bed.

"First off, I am sorry for what happened to you when you were a child," he said. "I never thought that it would turn out like this."

"What are you talking about?" the young woman asked. Haruki's eyes shifted away.

"When you were seven, there was an old classmate of mine who stopped by to visit," he said. "His name was Yodogiri Jinnai. I hadn't seen him in years. When he stopped by my door, I found it quite odd. I didn't know who he was at first. But, Yodogiri-san insisted on reconnecting. The whole time, I couldn't understand why. We were never that close in that one year of school that we were in together. That didn't stop him from coming by to visit. In the end, your grandma and I tolerated it." Haruki looked out the window.

"You never seemed to like Yodogiri-san," he added. "I guess what they say is true. Children do have a good insight to people. You definitely could tell when someone was a bad person or not."

"Did he kidnap me?" Madoka asked.

"Yes," Haruki said. "Or his people took you. You went missing for a year. Some of our neighbors thought you were dead. Your grandmother blamed me for it. 'How could you have brought that man into ours lives! He's taken our granddaughter. How will I face her mother in psych ward?!' I started to blame myself for it." He turned to Madoka, smiling.

"We were so relived when you came home," he said. "But, your grandmother still never forgave me for letting Yodogiri-san itself our lives."

"And that's when she started poisoning you out of revenge and to keep you quiet?" Madoka asked.

"Yes," he said. The missing pieces started to come together in her head. It was around spring back in the mid-90's. She was playing in her grandparents' vegetable garden on the day before school was going to start. Haruki was inside talking to Yodogiri-san at the time. Madoka saw a cat near the fence. She went over to go play with it. The cat ran through the hole in the fence. When she reached through said hole, someone grabbed her by the arm. Madoka screamed and tried to break free. Then, someone snuck up behind her and placed a cloth over her mouth. The little girl lost consciousness instantly. The next thing she could remember was waking up in a white room with bright blinding lights.

Haruki lowered his head.

"I am so sorry, Madoka-chan," he said. "I should've seen the signs. Yodogiri-san just showed up and wouldn't leave. He kept pushing himself into our lives and wouldn't give up. One of his associates kept asking questions about you. I should've seen it. Why didn't I see it before?" Madoka touched his hand. He looked up to see her smiling.

"It's okay," she said. "I am here now. Just come home with me." Haruki shook his head.

"No," he said. "I'm much safer here. Your grandmother will never forgive. I can't ever go home." It was then Madoka knew what she had to do.

"I will make it right," she said.

"But how?" Haruki asked. His granddaughter let go of his hand.

"I don't fully know, but I know where I can start," Madoka said. She turned and walked to the door. The tadpole turned and looked over her shoulder.

"I will call you when I get started," she said. Madoka walked out of the room before Haruki could say another word.

* * *

-Lost Child-

The red-haired little girl with one eye made her way to Shinjuku. She still didn't know where she was going or anything about herself. The child just had to keep going north. Nightfall was starting to set. She looked up when a drop touched her cheek. When the little girl looked up, it started to rain. She didn't seem to react normally. She held out her hands as the drops poured heavily.

"Hey!" a man yelled. The child about jumped and turned. A man in a white apron and a chef hat peered out of the closet shop.

"What are you doing out here in the rain?" he asked. The child tilted her head. The man, a cook of some sort, gave her a strange look.

"Where are your parents?" he asked. No answer.

"Are you lost?" No answer.

"What are you doing out here at this time of night?" No answer. The cook sighed and rubbed his forehead. He started to think that this child couldn't talk. Maybe she had some mental illness of some sort. The cook decided to changed tactics.

"Are you hungry?" he asked. The little child turned her body to face him.

"Come in, I will fix you up something to eat," the cook said. He moved from the door and child walked into the shop. The man shook his head and closed the door behind her. Looked like he would be staying at the shop a little bit longer time.

* * *

-Madoka-

She rode back to Ikebukuro planning out what to do next. The more Madoka thought about what she had learned, the angrier she became. Kitano's voice rang in her ears from the day of her awakening. If her grandfather had told her the truth sooner, maybe they could've found a way to stop this mess before it got out of hand. But instead, grandma chose to hide the truth and poison her husband to keep him quiet and twisted revenge.

_I will fix all of this!_

When Madoka came home, she found that grandma hadn't come home yet. Good. She headed to her room and started packing up a large bag. Madoka grabbed some clothes, her charge chord, text books, school supplies, and toiletries. In the middle of packing, Madoka heard the front door open.

"I'm home," her grandmother said. The tadpole could feel her rage building up again. She marched out of her room with fire in her eyes.

"Kimura-san just wouldn't stop talking about her grandbaby," the grandmother said as she took off her shoes at the entrance. "She just loves that baby so much. How was your…" The old lady looked up to see Madoka standing the doorway of the kitchen, glaring at her with her bag on her shoulder.

"Grandpa got better last night," she said. A look of fear came into her grandmother's eyes.

"That can't be right…" she mumbled.

"Oh yes," Madoka said. "He told me everything." Her grandmother took a step back.

"I didn't mean to harm him," she said. "I was only trying to protect you. You didn't remember what happened to after you came home and I wanted to keep it that way."

"Well it's too late," the tadpole said. "I already started remembering everything."

"Sweetheart…"

"No."

Her grandmother started trembling. "Sweetie, you're just sick. I will make you some tea and then we'll talk."

"Are you going to try and poison me too to make me forget?"

"Sweetheart, it's just the sickness talking. This isn't you." The more the old lady spoke, the angrier Madoka got.

"I am not sick," she hissed. "You are the sick one!" Madoka walked past her grandma and started putting on her shoes.

"Where are you going?" the old lady asked.

"I am leaving," her granddaughter said. "I will have someone else get the rest of my things later. Grandpa doesn't want to come home because he's scared of you. I can't stay here anymore either. I can't stand to see your face anymore. If I hear you make any more excuse I will snap." She walked over to the front door. The old lady trembled.

"You can't mean that," she said. "You can't have to do this. I'm sorry! I just did it all for you. You didn't need to know about all of the bad things that happened to you back then. I just wanted to go back to how everything was. If you want to get mad at someone, get mad at your grandfather. He's the one who brought that evil man into our lives. You have to blame him. He caused all of this!" Madoka gritted her teeth. She muttered something under her breath.

"What?" the old lady asked.

"Shut up," her granddaughter said. "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" Madoka raced forward and beat the old lady down with a framed family photo she grabbed off of the wall. She screamed as she beat her in the head. When she was done, her grandmother lay unconscious with a bloody face. Madoka backed up, trembling as she panted. It took a while for it all to sink in. She covered her mouth as she gasped. The tadpole turned and ran out of the apartment.

Madoka would end up checking into a hotel room for the night. She would look for a cheap apartment to live in the morning.


	21. Megumi

Halo Twenty: Megumi:

_Find me!_

Splash! The bubbles floated up from the water in the darkness. So cold. So cold…

Megumi awoke with a jolt. Six nights now. She's had this same dream for six nights now. Dreams, except for the sexy ones, meant nothing to her. But this one felt different. She wanted to chalk it up to lack of alcohol consumption, but that wasn't it, was it?

Megumi rolled over, frowning. This had to be another stupid vision that she was having. Another "perk" of being a tadpole. Shingen and his wife didn't seem like much help either.

"And I can't get rid of these powers?" Megumi asked after Emilia drew her blood.

"No," she said. The tadpole rolled her eyes.

"Great, I can't fuck. I can't drink. And keep having weird visions," she said.

"What kind of visions?" Emilia asked. Megumi shrugged and shook her head.

"Nothing much," she said. "Just a lot of dark water and someone saying, 'find me'."

"How long have you have been having these visions?" the researcher asked.

"About five nights now," the tadpole said. Megumi rubbed the back of her head.

"Can you please keep still?" Emilia asked. "I can't do this properly if you keep moving around."

"My bad," the tadpole said. She settled back into place.

"Maybe this vision is trying to tell you something," Emilia suggested. Megumi gave her an odd look.

"Tell me what?" she asked.

"I don't know, what do you think?" Emilia asked. Megumi wrinkled her nose.

"How the hell should I know?" she asked. "I just want it to stop!"

"I don't think it will," the researcher said in a quiet voice. Megumi groaned as the needle was pulled out of her arm.

Back in present day, her cell phone rang. Megumi groaned as she reached around for her phone on the floor.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Is this Fukao-san?" a woman's voice asked. Megumi narrowed her eyes.

"Who's asking?" she asked.

"My name is Usui Saori," the woman said. "Have you been having any strange visions lately?" Megumi gave her phone an odd look.

"Why?" she asked. There was a pause of the other line.

"Meet me near the Golden Gate Apartments in Shinjuku," Saori said. She hung up before Megumi could ask. The tadpole woman frowned at her phone. This didn't sound like it was a prank. But, it could also be a trap. Megumi rubbed her forehead.

_Find me._

Megumi jumped and looked around. She calmed down when there was no one else in the room. The tadpole puffed up her cheeks.

"Whoever's doing this, knock it off," she muttered under her breath. No answer from "tadpole radio" as it was called. Megumi rolled her eyes.

"Heh, tadpole radio. How lame," she muttered herself. Megumi got up and headed into her bathroom for a shower. Another morning of waking up alone.

* * *

-Seiji and Mika-

Seiji sighed as he looked through the bills. Mika turned her head as she sat on their bed.

"What's the matter?" she asked.

"They keep sending me nee-san's bills here," he said. Mika's face became so grim. Seiji shook his head as he flipped through all of the envelopes.

"We've been getting her mail sent to us since last August," he complained. He threw the bills into another bag on the floor. Mika lowered her eyes.

"Seiji-kun," she said. "We need to talk. I have something to tell you." Her boyfriend looked puzzled.

"What is it?" he asked. Mika patted the spot on the bed next to her. Her boyfriend walked over and sat next to her.

"What?" he asked. She didn't even hold it back.

"Namie-san is dead," Mika said.

"What?" Seiji asked. His girlfriend looked him in the eye. She moved her hands into her lap.

"She was killed back in August," Mika said. "Do you remember Apartment 27 in Kinko Sekai Apartments?"

"Yes… What about it?"

"Well, Izaya had her and a team of interns go down and check out the curse there."

"Did the curse kill her?"

Mika nodded. "I'm so sorry, Seiji."

He shook his head. "You're making this up."

"I'm so sorry," Mika said again. "I didn't like her, but even I wouldn't wish this on her."

"Wait… How do you know about this?" Seiji asked.

"I am starting to have strange memories," she said. "Things have happened before. They are happening again. Tell me, are you starting to remember anything?" Her boyfriend took a moment to think about it.

"I think you've told me all of this before," Seiji said. Mika's heart sank.

"Oh…" she murmured. "What all do you remember?" Vague flashes of memory started to play in Seiji's head. Bodies littered the ground. So much blood everywhere. All of the color drained from his face. He got up and walked to the door.

"Seiji-kun?" Mika asked. He ended up walking out of the apartment with a dazed look on his face. His girlfriend's heart sank as the door slammed shut. It's out now.

"What am I supposed to do now?" Mika asked. She looked at her phone. Six gates opened already. Where would the seventh be? Mika dialed up the one number she needed to protect Seiji now that he was starting to remember things.

"Hello," she said. "I think you know who I am. It's a lot worse than you think."

* * *

-Megumi-

-Six Months Ago-

It was supposed to be an ordinary night out. Earlier in the day, Megumi suffered from headaches on January eleventh. When she woke, she felt like throwing up. She could barely keep anything in her stomach. Megumi wasn't pregnant. She was on the pill. In fact, she took it last night. Plus, she hadn't slept with anyone in a while. Megumi looked at herself in the mirror. Her face looked so pale. She many bags under her eyes. When did her eyes look that blank and glassed over?

"Oh my god!" Megumi said. She ran to her toilet and threw up. Her sickness came and went throughout the day. The woman had to miss her classes. She even had to call in sick from work.

"You don't sound too good," her boss said. "Take the day to rest." The doctor at the client couldn't find anything wrong with her. It didn't help that she started to have memories about Chou Mori after so long. She felt the needles going into different parts of her body again. The pain of the electric shocks to her head. Being tied down to the bed, not in a sexy way. And that sadistic bastard's grinning face after every "treatment". All of it made her skin crawl.

By seven o'clock, Megumi had enough. She decided that she was going to go out anyway. All of the alcohol in the apartment wasn't helping wash away the misery. Her pounding headaches made her want to scream.

"I can't take this," she said to herself. So, Megumi got dressed up and headed out to the club. Her night started out standard like it always did. She danced around and had some drinks at the bar. Megumi even flirted with some guys in the club. It was really just business as usual.

Then, she met her first victim on the dance floor.

He had to have been about twenty-one or twenty-two years old. It didn't matter. He was gorgeous and interested in her. She just wanted to get laid.

-Present Day-

Megumi made her way to the entrance of Golden Gate Apartments down in Shinjuku. The place looked like it had seen better days. Only the iron gate looked brand new. Megumi wrinkled her nose as she touched the bars.

_Find me._

Megumi quickly looked around. There was no in sight. She narrowed her eyes.

"Hello?" she asked. Megumi looked up when she heard loud laughter. When she turned her head, a middle-age man was heading towards the gate with two women on his arms. The tadpole wrinkled her nose as she got a good look at him. This man was dressed like a yakuza man with his cigarette hanging out of his mouth. His slicked back hair looked so greasy. The only thing he was missing were a pair of shades. Megumi sneered at his gold chain and rings. He made eye contact with her instantly.

"You lost or something?" he asked.

"Uh… no. I'm waiting for a friend," Megumi said. The women on his arms giggled as the man grinned. The tadpole already hated his teeth.

"The lovelies and I are heading out for the day," the man said as he appeared to be checking her out. Megumi took a step back.

"What's the matter?" the man asked. The woman smiled and shook her head.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Fukao Megumi," the tadpole said. "And you are?" The man smirked as he moved his hand to his chest.

"Koizumi Gihei," he said. "I own this apartment building."

"Uh-huh…" Megumi muttered. Koizumi gave her a little salute.

"I'll see you around then," he said. The tadpole sneered as he and his lady friend walked away.  _Like hell you will!_

_Find me!_

Megumi looked around again. She only saw Koizumi and his women leaving. That voice was starting to haunt her during the day too. Megumi gritted her teeth.

"Enough already, damn it," she muttered under her breath. "Who the hell are you and why do you want me to find you so much?" Suddenly, a chill ran up her spine. Megumi looked behind her. A woman with her long black hair in two braids stood inches away from her. She held up from her phone.

"Are you Fukao Megumi?" the woman asked.

"Yes… why?" the other tadpole asked. The woman breathed out.

"Oh good," she said. "I was hiding from that creepy guy. I couldn't stand the way he was looking at me when I was leaving my apartment."

"You live here?" Megumi asked.

"Yeah," the woman said. "My name is Saori." The tadpoles bowed.

"Want to come with me to my apartment?" Saori asked. Megumi dropped her shoulders.

"Might as well," she said. The women walked past the opening gates. They passed by a faded missing poster posted on the outdoor bulletin board. It was for a young lady named Ono Jade. She was twenty-one had been missing since last October.

* * *

-Chiharu-

The pain came back in waves every ten minutes. Each day, it became more frequent. Same with the tremors in her hands. Chiharu just wanted to die.

Then, her phone rang. She saw another round of rage flared up in her eyes. The angel knew that she shouldn't even pick up the phone to answer. She already knew what was coming next. But still…

"What do you want?" Chiharu asked over her phone.

"How long are you going to keep this up?" Junko asked on the other line. Her prey gritted her teeth.

"I won't do it," Chiharu said.

"You will need to feed," Junko said. "There is no way out of this."

"Screw you!"

"Think of how much easier it would be just to sink your teeth into warm human flesh."

"Shut up…"

"That sweet, sweet- tasting blood coating your tongue. I heard that human flesh taste like pork."

"Shut up!" Sweat began to coat Chiharu's body. She started taking in heavy breaths.

"The sooner you feed, the easier things will be for you," Junko went on. "But Chirin and Kida-kun are off the menu, of course." Chiharu let out a wild scream as she threw her phone across the room. Her tremors broke out all over her body as she hyperventilated. Meanwhile, Junko laughed over the phone.

* * *

-Megumi-

Around seven, Megumi stood in her bathroom, putting on lipstick. Saori's offer still rang out in her head.

"We're trying to look for all of the other tadpoles in Japan," the older woman explained. Megumi raised her eyebrow as she sat on her host's couch.

"We?" she asked.

"I am friends with a couple of tadpoles like us," Saori said. She walked into the living room with a tray of tea.

"Here," she said, handing Megumi a cup. The younger tadpole took it. Saori sat down next to her.

"Why do you want to find us so much?" Megumi asked.

"We haven't figured out what comes after that," Saori admitted. "But it feels like something is at stake if we don't." Megumi frowned as she took a drink. It wasn't alcohol, but it would have to do for now.

"What are you asking me to do again?" she asked. Saori leaned in close.

"Help us find our brothers and sisters," she said.

Back in present day, Megumi frowned as she put on her lipstick. It was bad enough that she couldn't get laid or get drunk. Now she would have to go out on a search and rescue mission? Megumi shook her head.

"That's not my problem," she muttered under her breath. After a little mascara and blush, Megumi fixed up her hair and walked out of her bathroom.

* * *

-Six Months Ago-

Megumi invited that beautiful man back to her apartment. He couldn't keep his hands off of her. She was happy to give into his kisses and caresses. That night was supposed to be a normal night. Megumi led him back up to her apartment. They made it back to her room and didn't waste time diving into one of Megumi's favorite pastimes. When was the last time she felt this sexy? When was the last time the ride made her crave more? She really got into the ride as she was on top.

But, something wasn't right.

The young man underneath her started making gagging noises as his lips turned blue. Megumi didn't have her hands around his neck. His eyes rolled back into his head. The longer she rode him, the more that she couldn't ignore what was happening to him.

By the climax, Megumi's worst fear became confirmed. Her one-night stand lay motionless underneath him. She reached down and smacked him on the cheek.

"Hey," Megumi whispered. "Wake up. Wake up!" She tried shaking him and slapping him, but nothing happened. The woman checked for a pulse in his neck.

"Oh no, no, no, no," she said. Megumi tried to give him CPR, but it was useless. Already, she began to fear the worse. That's when her cell phone rang. Megumi couldn't stop trembling as she picked up.

"H-H-H-Hello?" she asked.

"Hello, Kitsune-chan," Kitano's voice filled her ear. "Congratulations on your awakening." That one voice she had wished never to hear again. He just had to pull her back into that nightmare.

-Present Day-

Megumi walked into yet another night club in Ikebukuro. It used to feel like home to her. She could get lost in the music, booze, and all the attention of the 6's and 7's in the club. Now, the club was just loud noises, tasteless booze, and pretty sweaty bodies that she couldn't get close to. Megumi snared.

_Why the hell did I come here again?_

_Find me._

Megumi jerked her head upwards and looked around. Who was calling out to her again? Why wouldn't that stupid voice leave her alone? Megumi shook her head and made her way over to the bar. It would be easier to find who was calling out to her, find them, and shut them up.

"Give whatever," Megumi told the bartender.

"Sure thing," he said. She sighed and looked around the club. Coming here felt pointless, but she couldn't spend another night staying in her apartment pleasuring herself with her toys.

"Jade?" Megumi heard behind her. She turned her head to see Koizumi staring at her. All of the color was drained from his face as his eyes were wide. Megumi tilted her head.

"Huh?" she asked. The apartment owner shook his head.

"Oh," he said. "I apologize. You look so much like her. The red dress and the hair done up like that." Megumi looked down at her tight red dress down to her thighs and felt along her long brown hair done up in a side bun.

"Who's Jade?" she asked. Koizumi shook his head.

"It's nothing, forget it," he said. Megumi gave him a strange look as the apartment owner turned to walk back to his table near the DJ both.

_Find me._

Megumi about jumped when that voice came through that time. This time, it came through louder that it had over the past six days. Something told her that the voice was connected to Koizumi himself. Maybe, he did freak out when he saw at the bar and call her 'Jade'. Suddenly, Megumi had the urge to check out this guy for herself. She got up from the bar and walked up to the table near the DJ booth.


	22. Mikado

Halo Twenty-One: Mikado:

Anri had to keep watch over Mikado. Masaomi gave her strict instructions.

"You have to remember that he's not exactly in a stable place," he told her. "Mikado is not as okay as he pretends to be. He's starting to remember when he was in Chou Mori. He's starting to have nightmares. Just stay by his side. If there are any problems, call me."

"Yes," Anri said. Masaomi took a slow breath out.

"Thank you," he said.

"He will be okay with me," Anri said. The blonde-haired boy looked uneasy about this, but he had to go check on Saki.

"It's okay," Saika's mother insisted. "Just go." Masaomi didn't move at first before he slowly nodded.

"Right," he said. "I will be back by Sunday." It took the boy a few more minutes to finally let go of Anri's hands and walk out of the apartment.

So far, everything had been calm for the past three days close to the end of June. Anri figured that she would just keep everything as simple as possible. She would try and talk to him when her dear friend started to have a panic attack. They did summer homework together and talked about some of the school plans. Mikado smiled and acted like his old self. Sometimes he would get flustered at the thought of being alone with his crush in his apartment. Even through all of this, she began to notice how serious the problem was with Mikado. He had the eyes of a broken down man. What did he see when he was in Chou Mori? The tadpole boy tried to sound like everything was normal. But, Anri could tell that he was scared of something. She put her hand on his.

"It's going to be okay," the girl whispered. Mikado gave her a desperate look in her eyes.

"Please… don't leave me," he pleaded. Anri pulled him into her arms.

"I won't," she whispered. Mikado would usually go to sleep in her lap. Anri didn't know how to handle this.

* * *

It probably wasn't a good idea to be alone with Anri. Mikado struggled not to look at her demon on her shoulder. He tried to ignore its voice.

"Are you feeling okay?" Anri asked.

"Yes," he said. He heard her thoughts and she wasn't convinced.

"I won't leave you," was all that she said. Mikado believed her, but he had other problems to worry about.

More memories flooded his head. On the first night, they manifested in his nightmares. He found himself strapped down to another table in the darkness. A light flashed into his eyes. What were they going to do to him now? Injections? Focusing pulls down his throat? Or the electric shock therapy?

He heard the door opening. Footsteps walked over to the metal bed. They stopped with two pairs of eyes looking down at him. One figure held a long, sharp needle over his victim. Mikado could only stare on with horror. He can't scream out or move. Where was that needle going to go now?

Back in reality, Mikado can't hide his pain anymore.

"You're always crying in your sleep," Anri said.

"What?" he asked. Mikado touched under his right eye. Leftover tears ran down his cheek. They didn't seem to stop.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry," Mikado kept saying. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Anri pulled him into her arms. He cried against her chest.

The day goes on the same. Mikado was able to calm down enough to act normal. But, the mask was already starting to crack. The memories kept piling on top of each other one by one. He could still feel every shock. His limbs and body ached through the needles going into the veins. Sometimes, he would huddle up in ball, trembling. Mikado would let out a voiceless scream. Anri watched him worried. She would call and talk to Mika on the phone.

"I don't know what to do," she said on the phone outside of the apartment.

"Just stay by him," Mika said. "He needs you."

"I don't know if I can help him though," her friend said. "He's been crying in his sleep."

"Any nightmares?"

"Yes."

"Has he been having any panic attacks?"

"Yes." Anri hesitated for a moment. "I'm really worried for him. I don't want to trouble Kida-kun when he's worried about Saki."

"It will be okay," her friend said. "I will help you through this." Anri closed her eyes.

"Thank you," she said.

Meanwhile, Mikado could hear every word from inside.

"Aw, she's worried about you," a voice cooed. "Too bad it will all go badly for you both." Mikado gritted his teeth.

"Why can't you leave me alone?" he asked. Satoshi smiled and shook his head.

"And miss you wallowing in the misery that felt?" he asked. "Like hell I will." The dead tadpole tilted his head.

"Don't tell me… Oh!" Satoshi said. "You're in love with her, aren't you?" Mikado's face turned bright red as he froze. The dead tadpole tried not to laugh.

"My, my, my, my," he said. "The little golden prince gets everything. High praises, powerful gang in Ikebukuro, friends who adore you, thousands of girls who love you, and a cute girlfriend." Satoshi sneered.

"It's going to be a tragedy when it's all ripped away from you," he said.

"Don't you ever shut up?" Mikado asked.

"Excuse me?" Satoshi asked. The living tadpole turned to him with a cold look in his eyes.

"You are dead," he said. "Why can't you just leave me alone?"

"You're why I am this way."

"You were trying to kill me!"

"You should've let me die in that hellhole! It would've been much easier for me!"

"Look, I don't know why I pushed Roc off of you. It just happened, okay. I'm sorry I saved you. I'm sorry you had a miserable life after Chou Mori. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. What more do you want from me?"

"Heh," was all Satoshi said. Then, he vanished.

Anri saw the whole thing. Mikado was talking to somebody, but no one was there. This wasn't the first time she had witnessed this happen either. Days before Masaomi went to go check on Saki, Anri woke up so see Mikado arguing with himself in the kitchen area of his apartment. Masaomi saw the same thing for himself one night. The leader of the Yellow Scarves had a grim look on his face.

"I will have to tell you about Satoshi," he said.

"Who is Satoshi?" Anri asked. Masaomi ended up leading her further into the city to tell her the story about the night Satoshi died.

Still, Mikado's misery didn't stop there.

Today felt like an uneasy day. Mikado barely spoke anymore. He stared off into space that morning. Another nightmare last night. He didn't want to go to sleep anymore. Tears rolled down his cheeks. He barely even touched his food.

"Mikado… -kun?" Anri asked. He only said one thing.

"They can't hear me scream," he muttered. Then, the tadpole rose to his feet and walked out of his apartment.

"Mikado-kun?" Anri asked. The door closed behind him. Anri felt that sinking feeling in her stomach getting worse. If this kept up, she was afraid that he would end up hurting himself or somebody else. Anri crawled over and reached for her phone.

He had that dream again last night.

Mikado stood in a crowd of people. Their faces all looked so empty. They walked by him without making eye contact.

"Hey! Can you hear me?" he asked. "Hey! Hey!" They all kept walking. Fear seized every being in Mikado's body. The people were gray and seemed to be walking aimlessly. Suddenly a sharp pain struck Mikado in the chest. The tadpole gasped as he clutched his chest and stumbled backwards.

"Someone… Please… help… me…" he pleaded, breathless. Mikado sank to his knees, screaming. He huddled onto the ground as the pain spread through his body. To his horror, everyone walking around were covering their ears, not making eye contact.

This night led to Mikado sitting on the bathroom floor, crying. The tears didn't seem to know how to stop.

"Mikado-kun?" Anri asked outside, knocking on the door. "Are you okay in there?"

"No!" he said, sobbing. Mikado drew his knees to his chest. He didn't know how much more of this he could take. Anri put on a brave face around him. The tadpole started biting on his thumb. His stomach turned. He closed his eyes, wishing that it wasn't like this.

It would all come to a head by the third night.

* * *

The night question was unusually hot that week. Anri slept in the same room with Mikado like she had done for the past few nights. It had been a quiet day. He had finally managed to calm down. They didn't say this morning either. Probably best not to go to school today. Junko would somehow make it worse. Sure, she moved onto harassing Chiharu, but Anri didn't want to take her chances.

Mikado still wouldn't eat much. He just stared out into space. All of the color was drained from his face. Anri didn't want to know what was going through his mind.

"I'm sorry to put you through this," Mikado said at the table. Anri shook her head.

"It's going to be okay," she said. "I'm here for you." He wanted to believe her. She had been staying with him for the past two days. She could've run away, but she didn't. Mikado lowered his eyes.

"I don't get it," he said.

"Get what?" Anri asked. Mikado trembled as he looked down at his bowl of rice.

"How can you stay with someone who's as broken as me?" he asked. Anri gently took his hand.

"Because I'm worried about you," she said. "I really do care about you and I really like you." He could look into her eyes and know that she was telling the truth. But suddenly, he could hear Saika whispering inside of her.

_Monster. Freak. Not human. Not human. Not human!_

Mikado drew back his hands.

"Mikado-kun?" Anri asked.

"It hates me, doesn't?" he asked in a whisper. Saika's mother looked so pale as she remembered him asking the same question before.

"She called me a monster," Mikado said. "Am I…?" Anri grabbed him by the hands.

"You are still human to me," she said. "You will always be human to be." Mikado knew her words were sincere, but Saika wasn't having any of it.

_Not human. Not human. Not human! You are not human!_

Mikado drew back his hand. He forced himself to smile as he started backing away.

"Mikado-kun?" Anri asked. The tadpole boy shook his head.

"I'm just tired," he lied. He set down his chopsticks and stood up. Mikado walked past her to his room.

"But you haven't even touched your food…" she said. He flopped down onto his futon and closed his eyes. Anri watched with her head tilted. He hadn't really been eating much over the past two days. She did manage to get him to eat a little bit of miso and rice last night. Maybe she could take him to a doctor.

"That won't work," Mikado said. "They won't know what to do. Besides, she's there too."

"She?" Saika's mother asked. He didn't answer her as he tried to go to sleep.

That night, Anri decided to stay by Mikado as he slept. Most of the day was a little bit easier than the past two. He didn't argue with himself today. No panic attack or breaking down sobbing. Despite him not really eating much, today seemed rather mellow. Still, there was always that feeling of an episode rearing its ugly head when she least expected it. It amazed Anri that she stayed with him through the whole two days. She wondered how she was able to do it.

Around two in the morning, Anri was woken up by animalistic screaming. She leapt up and looked around. The girl turned to see Mikado screaming in his sleep. His body writhed under his sheets as he grabbed his pillow. She had never seen him do this before. In fact, it frightened her. Anri raced over to his futon.

"Mikado-kun! Mikado-kun! Wake up! Wake up!" she said, shaking him as hard as she could. "Hey! Hey!"

Smack!

Anri ended up falling back against the wall. She whimpered as she rubbed her nose. It was a good thing that she didn't have her glasses on. Mikado awoke panting and covered in sweat. He looked up to see Anri groaning in pain, holding her nose.

"Anri?" the tadpole asked. It didn't take him long to realized what just happened. All of the color drained from his face.

"Oh gosh!" Mikado yelped as he raced over to her. "I'm so sorry. Are you okay? I didn't hurt you too bad, did I?"

"I'm fine," Anri whispered. Mikado got one look into her brown eyes and his mind ended up in a strange place. The tadpole leaned forward and gave her an open-mouthed kiss. Anri didn't get time to react. She didn't know whether to push him off or let him go through with it. She remembered the time he forcefully kissed her back in April when they were about to leave school. Masaomi had to explain what happened that day. She wondered if the same thing was happening again. Mikado finally pulled away with his face so red. He sat, panting.

"Mikado… -kun…?" Anri asked. He stared at her, wide-eyed. The tadpole could hear and feel his heart pounding against his chest. He couldn't understand in his state of mind why he was doing this or what was happening. Anri didn't seem to try and stop him either. Mikado moved forward and kissed her again in his haze. This time, he dragged her onto the futon.

_Why isn't she stopping me?_

He looked down at Anri. He had expected, even hoped, that she was looking at him in fear. But, no. The blank expression on her face scared him even more.

_Please… Say something. Stop me before I do something I regret._

She reached up and touched his cheek. That was enough to kill him inside. Mikado sat up and took off his shirt. Anri's cheeks turned bright pink. She still wouldn't move to stop him. This didn't feel right. Was it because of his ability to attract the opposite sex was why Anri wasn't resisting him? Did she really want this or was this out of sympathy?

Both of them ended up undressed. Mikado at first tried not to look at Anri's naked body underneath him. He found himself unable to turn back at this point. Saika's mother even helped him undress her. The whole time, she had no emotion on her face. She didn't speak up either. Mikado's eyes darted around anywhere, but her face. This night had occurred before. Both of them started to remember this happening.

Then, he looked at her right shoulder.

A small shadowy demon stared up at him with red eyes. Little silver chains were wrapped around its body. When it opened its mouth, it only said two things repeatedly.

_Love me. Parasite. Parasite. Parasite. Love me. Love me._

"I don't think you are a parasite," Mikado said.

"What?" Anri asked. He pushed hair out of her eye, ignoring Saika's voice of disgust yelling at him.

"You are not a parasite," Mikado said. "You should be loved." Without another word, he pushed himself into her. The breaking through the hymen brought back more memories of this night and of Yayoi running her hands all over his bare skin. He began to remember a woman who looked like Anri lying underneath him too. She had a look of loving lust in her eyes. That look was absent in Anri's eyes. Mikado tried his best not to look at her.

_Why don't you stop me? Push me off. Slap me. Do something!_

She still wouldn't react in the way that he had hoped.

His body moved on autopilot. With each thrust he felt nothing. Even when Anri looked into his eyes, she could see nothing. She reached up and touched his cheek. Tears ran down his cheeks. His moans filled the room, but she didn't make a sound. Saika wouldn't even cut him. Mikado's hand went through the demon's small body.

_Forgive me, Anri-chan…_

Mikado didn't even feel anything as he reached his climax. He lay beside her, panting. Anri tried to reach out and touch his shoulder, but he shoved back her hand.

"Don't… please…" Mikado whimpered with his head turned away.

"I won't leave you, Mikado-kun," she whispered. Her words drove the knife deeper into his chest. Part of him whispered that she would.

_What have I done?_

Mikado could already see the Waste Land crawling closer towards him and Anri with its giant mouth wide open. Tears streamed down his face.

_I am so sorry. Forgive me, Anri-chan._


	23. Satoru

Halo Twenty-Two: Satoru:

Satoru stood around an empty white room.

"He's good at piecing things together," Kitano said, watching him. "Maybe too good." Etsuko worked to patch him.

"Damn it, Katsuhiro!" she complained. "Why didn't you get to a hospital?!" The therapist shrugged.

"He was just there," he said. "Plus, I didn't have my phone on me." The doctor sighed.

"We've talked about this," she said.

"I know, I know," he said. His work partner was the only one who could get away with scolding him for messing up. After all, she had been with him since the birth of the Tandeki Group. Etsuko looked into the room next door.

"So what do we do with him?" she asked. "This is as far as he's seen of the building. What did you say that he wanted again?"

"He's looking for his sister," Kitano whispered. "He showed me the text telling him to come to me. I think I might know how the sister might be."

"So what do you plan to do with him?" Etsuko asked.

"You know something," he said. "I think I might have just solved two of our problems."

"Heh?" Etsuko asked. Meanwhile, Satoru stood around in the other room, waiting.

* * *

-Megumi-

Megumi spotted Koizumi at his table with several women. He sat in the center laughing and drinking. Two of the women were rubbing on his exposed chest. Megumi wrinkled her nose as his gold chain. Let's see… one… two… three… four… five… six… seven… eight women crawling all over this creep. Well, except for this one.

A girl about nineteen years old sat at the edge of the table, sighing. She had to be about eighteen or nineteen years old. Probably her first time out here in the party scene. This girl looked rather out of place in this pounding club. In fact, she looked kind of timid behind her heavy make-up. She didn't look too comfort in her short black dress. The girl didn't pick up her drink. She looked down at her hands, probably wishing that she was anywhere but here. Megumi narrowed her eyes. Something about that girl begged her not to leave. Was she the one calling out to her?

_Find me!_

Megumi's eyes looked at the women at the table. They looked too busy fawning over him and getting drunk. Koizumi basked in the attention surrounding him. The tadpole dropped her shoulders and cursed herself. If it wasn't them, then who was it? The uneasy girl at the end of the table got and headed towards the bathrooms in the club. The apartment owner looked up and noticed her leave. He excused himself from his women and followed after the uneasy girl. His harem whimpered under the flashing lights. Koizumi held out his arms as he spoke.

"Don't worry ladies," he said. "Papa will be back to keep you company." Megumi rolled her eyes. Couldn't this asshole get any cheesier? Then, he bowed and walked down the hall. Right away, the tadpole ended up following him down the hall too.

It then Megumi noticed that something didn't look right about the girl. She started to look like she could barely stand up. She leaned against the wall to catch her breath. Megumi narrowed her eyes. She didn't see the girl take a drink. Did she drink before Megumi found the table? The uneasy girl was about to fall when Koizumi caught her. She mumbled something almost unintelligible. The creep tried to lean in a kiss her. His victim couldn't fight back with him pinning her to the wall.

"Please…" the girl pleaded. She began to lose consciousness. Koizumi caught her before she fell on him. He put her arm over his shoulders and hauled her away with him through the backway of the club. Megumi wrinkled her nose.

"What a creep," she said to herself. The tadpole still wouldn't lose sight of the pair.

She trailed them back to the apartment complex where Naomi lived. Megumi put her hand to the gate.

_Find me._

Megumi rubbed her forehead as she shuddered. She wished that she could have powerful eyes like Madoka in cases like this. The tadpole didn't have time to mess around. She closed her eyes and vanished from the apartment gates. Megumi listened for the pair as appeared on the top floor. The quiet made it worse than the situation already was. She didn't stop walking the whole time.

_Come on… Come on…_

Her ears finally caught the sound of a zipper. Megumi turned her head.

"There!" she said. The tadpole made her way to apartment 871. She pounded on the door.

"Go away!" a man's voice yelled. Megumi pounded harder on the door.

"Go away!" the man yelled again. Megumi wouldn't stop pounding on the door. The man sighed as he zipped up.

"Coming!" the man shouted. Megumi stepped back as the door opened. Koizumi stared at her frowning before his eyes widened.

"It's you," he said in a whisper.

"Is my friend here?" Megumi asked. Koizumi gave her a strange look.

"Friend?" he asked.

"Yeah, short blonde hair and tight black dress," she said. "Heavy make-up and looking really cute." Koizumi looked calm on the surface.  _Oh shit! How did this bitch find me? I thought that I was being careful! I have to get rid of this bitch fast!_

"No," he said. "Good night." Koizumi tried to close the door in her face, but Megumi was quick to grab the heavy metal.

"What the…?!" he asked.

"Are you sure?" Megumi asked.

"Yes, now please leave, damn it!" the apartment owner shouted. Low groaning came from inside the living room. Megumi looked over Koizumi's shoulder and saw that girl lying on the couch on her back. She was rubbing her head as she looked down to see her dress rolled up and her underwear missing. Megumi glared at the apartment owner. Koizumi started seeing red as he snorted.

"It's not what it looks like," he said. Megumi was about to speak when that voice rang through her head again.

_Find me!_

The voice came through screaming this time. It screamed so loud that Megumi about jumped. She looked up at the roof. It all started to make sense. The tadpole turned and ran towards the roped-off old iron stairs that led to the roof.

"Hey!" Koizumi yelled. He took off running after her. Megumi climbed over the rope and ran up the stairs. She made her way up to the giant brown water tower. Megumi climbed up the weak metal ladder to the heavy door. To her surprise, she had herself able to open it up with ease. When Megumi looked inside, her jaw dropped. The bloated and pale body of Ono Jade floated inside. She was sitting up in place surrounded by the cold water. How long had the missing woman been down there? Megumi covered her nose as she tried not to puke.

But suddenly a heavy hand pushed her into the water. Megumi didn't get a chance to look up as a heavy hand tried to hold her down. She tried to panic as she heard Koizumi panicking in his head.

_I can't let this cunt go to the police! I am not going to prison!_

Megumi tried to swim out of his grasp in vain. But then, an arm reached up and grabbed onto Koizumi's arm and pulled him inside. Megumi swam up to the open surface and climbed out of the water tower. Once she got down to the lobby, the tadpole phoned the police.

Hours later, the bodies of Ono Jade and Koizumi Gihei would be fished out of the water tank. The neighbors had no idea. This would explain why the water in the apartment complex smelled and tasted bad for months. Megumi could already put the narrative of what happened to Ono Jade all those months ago. She sneered as she walked away.

* * *

-Hungry Child-

The little girl with the scar on her right scar chowed down on her sandwich. The cook sat across from the table, watching her.

"So… where are you from?" he asked. The little girl looked up, silent. That pause lasted for about ten seconds.

"Where are your parents?" the cook asked. No answer.

"Where did you come from?" No answer.

"What were you doing wandering around in the rain last night?" No answer.

"What is your name?" No answer. The child finished off her sandwich. The cook sat back, frowning. He probably should call the police. But what should he tell them? He just met her last night and she seemed to be eating the restaurant empty. Speaking of which, he had never seen a little girl with such a big appetite in his life. Right now, the child looked like she wanted another sandwich. The cook nervously laughed as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Are you hungry again?" he asked. The child's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. She never said a word but understood when it was time to eat. The cook sighed and shook his head.

"Okay," he said. "I'll get you another sandwich. Wait here." The little girl watched as he disappeared back into the kitchen. She tilted her head as he got back to work.

* * *

-Kanna-

Lately, it's hard to get out of bed. For Kanna, it used to be the need to consume more alcohol. Hideki didn't help the matter by locking up all of the booze in the house.

"Why did you have to do that?" she complained.

"I'm doing this for you," her husband said. "We're trying to get you to stop drinking." Kanna groaned with her face in the pillow.

This was different.

The visions have been getting more frequent lately. Last night's dream petrified her.

Ikebukuro was dying around her. The ground cracked with each step she took. The buildings looked like they were going to crumble at any moment. Kanna looked around under the burning orange sky.

"Hello?" she asked. "Where is everybody? Hello?" The echoes of her voice filled the crushing silence. There were no signs of life anywhere. The usually busy streets of Ikebukuro were dead and empty. Kanna put her hand to her chest. Her throat began to close up as it felt like the bottoms of her feet were on fire. The air seemed to be crushing her body. Her black kimono seemed to be crushing her body.

"Mama," a little boy's voice said back in reality. Juichi stood in front of her face. He had a concerned look on his face. Kanna gave him a tired smile and patted him on the head.

"What's wrong, Mama?" Juichi asked. Kanna shook her head.

"Mama's just tired," she said. She couldn't tell her husband about what was going on. He would probably think that she was drinking again. Ironically, alcohol would be so helpful right now. Kanna broke down trembling.

Her therapy session would be in a few hours. Aya will only make things even worse. Kanna pulled her sheets over her head.  _I don't want to go to therapy._

Hideki will make her go anyway.

* * *

-Nightmare-

The tadpoles are all having the same dream.

People walk around in the crowd around them. They all look the same with no emotion on their face. The tadpoles look around in desperation, trying to get anyone's attention. They shout and shout, but the people walk by without even looking at them. Said people have no expressions on their faces.

Then, the pain kicks in.

They have been used to the pain from Chou Mori and the currents experiments. But this pain could not compare in this crowd of apathic people. The tadpoles sink to their knees, screaming and begging for help. But, the people do not hear them. They have their hands over their ears and keep walking. More people walk by as the pain grows worse.

Ever since Megumi found Ono Jade's body in that water tower and Madoka ran away from home, these dreams have been playing on a loop over the past five nights. This didn't feel like a vision of the future. More like a symbol of what life was turning into for them now.

None of the tadpoles can escape this nightmare. Tonight will be no different.

* * *

-Demon Storm-

More demons have taken over the city. The worst part was they looked human. These demons were skilled in blending in with the people around them. They had to hunt their prey and take over bodies. By now, the bakeneko weren't alone. They were responsible for the mischief they caused around Ikebukuro, but they never intended on any serious malicious. Not yet at least. It's almost like they were waiting for permission to act. They might get that once the seventh gate is opened.

There are still were demons waiting to cross into the living world. They have plans for the normals and the tadpoles once they get out. The demons already in Ikebukuro have already started acting on their plans as summer waits to greet them. By now, more humans are starting to notice that something isn't right. The children have known it all along. Their parents are starting to take them seriously and keep them protected. But, the adults knew that wasn't going to last long. Just like the bakeneko might know that their waiting might be over soon.

The stronger demons have already started acting on their plans. They can't wait to do more when the last gate is opened. But, it needed to be found first.

* * *

-Satoru-

Around three in the morning, Satoru looked up when he heard the heavy door opening. That young woman in the oni mask stood staring at him. Her black jeans and t-shirt were actually clean for a change. She held her cleaver by her side. The woman in the mask didn't make a sound. Satoru narrowed his eyes.

"Niko?" he asked. The woman froze as if her heart jumped up in her throat. Satoru's eyes lit up with joy as relief washed over him.

"It is you!" he said. The young man rushed over and pulled her into a huge embrace. It appeared that that woman in mask didn't know how to respond. Her cleaver slipped from her hand and dropped to the floor.


	24. Kimiko

Halo Twenty-Three: Kimiko:

-Kimiko-

My name is Miyashiro Kimiko. I am in deep trouble.

I have done things that I am not proud of. I first got pregnant when I was eighteen. My boyfriend at the time said that he would be there for me and my parents convinced me not to get an abortion. Said it would bring dishonor to the family and all of that bullshit. I get mad just thinking about it. Excuse me a minute.

I'm better now.

Long story short, I was the ideal daughter and then I made some poor decisions when I was seventeen. I ended up the single mother of two beautiful little girls and trapped in an endless struggle to make ends meet. My decisions are nothing compared to the one I made six months ago. There was some hope for me though. I have been good with computer since I was a kid. It started out with just light things like playing around with different settings for the heck of it. As I got older, I became curious. Hacking cannot really be taught. There are trades and tips, but you either have the skill or you don't. I am in the former group.

I just fell into, really. I watched others do it. Then, I tried it out myself. I did have help with learning html and programming. It took practice to get to the skill level I needed to be at to gain access to the deep web. (I don't mess around with the dark web. That place as some fucked up shit.) My skills around the deep web landed me in a handful of jobs to help support my daughters and myself.

My blessing turned out to really be a curse.

My current job is on the fifth floor of Rampo Biotech. But, I am not here by choice. Circumstances from my last job placed me in this situation. Now, I am nothing but a slave to the Tandeki Group. If I try to leave, I will risk going to prison. If I stay, my daughters will have a better future. Either way, I lose big.

I am not the only one.

They are holding our relatives and loved ones' well-being in hostage to make us work for them. I looked around from my computer. There are a small number of programmers employed here. Twenty-three tops. We all are prisoners here to our keyboards. The pay may be really nice, but it's killing us inside. Even when I go home, I dream that I am working at my computer in that dimly lit office. Sometimes, I don't go home until three in the morning.

I dropped my head in my hands.

I don't know how much more I can take of this.

* * *

-Shion-

Shion walked through the streets on Ikebukuro.

"We're here," she said. She reached down and patted her companion on the head.

"Stay by me, okay? Things have gotten worse. My, it's gotten active around here lately," Shion said. "Really creepy." Tiny hands grab her kimono.

"There, there," she said. "I will keep you safe. It's been my job since we first met. I am not about to stop now." They stood at the crosswalk, watching the light.

"You know I brought you here with me today?" Shion asked. The spirit woman smiled. She leaned to her companion's ear.

"We're going to see your mother today," she whispered. Shion put up her hand shushed her companion.

"Shhh. Easy there. Calm down. I figured that you deserved after hanging around me for so long." She knelt down in front of her companion.

"Now remember," Shion said. "You can't try to directly contact her yet. She's not a virgin anymore, but you haven't been conceived yet. It's not time right now." Shion noticed her companion frowning.

"I don't know when that date will be," she said. "You know how your father is. But he can't fight fate with you. You will be born, I will see to it myself." Shion sighed and smiled.

"Yes, I mean it," she said. She patted her companion on the head again.

"There you go," Shion said. "Let's go see your mom." She took her companion by the hand and led them across the street.

* * *

-Mikado and Masaomi-

"I'm back," Masaomi said.

"Welcome back," Anri said. Mikado sat by the window, staring out without saying a word. Masaomi looked between both of his friends. Mikado and Anri tried their best not to look at each. The tadpole boy drew his knees to his chest. Saika's mother trembled. Masaomi looked at both of them with a confused look on his face.

"Uh… Did something happen while I was gone?" he asked. Both friends froze. Anri kept her head low as she walked outside.

"Where are you going?" Masaomi asked.

"Um… I have to run to the store to get something," Anri lied. "I'll be right back." She dashed out the door before Kida could say a word.

"Anri?" he asked. The door slammed shut. Masaomi lowered his hand.

"What was that all about?" he asked.

"It was my fault," Mikado spoke up.

"Huh?" Masaomi asked. His friend looked up at him with desperate eyes. Masaomi wandered over to him.

"Mikado?" he asked. Mikado lowered his head.

"I did something really bad," he said against his knees.

"What do you mean? What happened?" his friend asked. He noticed the desperate look in Mikado's eyes.

"Talk to me. What's the matter? What happened while I was out?" Masaomi asked.

"I slept with her," Mikado said in a low voice.

"What?" Masaomi asked. It took about ten seconds for it to sink in. The look of a naughty child with a juicy secret came over his face.

"Oh!" he said. "Oh! Oh wow! Way to go, buddy!" Masaomi playfully nudged Mikado on the arm.

"No!" Mikado said. He looked down at his knees.

"It wasn't good?" Masaomi asked.

"I don't know." The tadpole trembled. "It just kind of… happened."

"Do you remember what happened?"

"Yeah."

Masaomi never took his gaze off of him. "Do you want to talk about it? I mean, the bare details of what happened. You don't have to tell me everything." Mikado didn't say anything. Masaomi's eyes shifted back and forth.

_I didn't mean for it to sound like that._

"I know," Mikado said. "But that's not what I'm worried about."

"What do you mean?" Masaomi asked. His friend looked out the window.

"If I sleep with her again, she'll get pregnant," Mikado said in a low voice. "And then, that poor little baby will be subjected to the same hell I went through."

"What are you talking about?" Masaomi asked. "Why would Anri be getting pregnant?" Mikado slowly shook his head.

"Look," the Yellow Scarves leader said. "You just made a mistake. You weren't thinking clearly and things just happened. I am here now. You don't have to worry."

"How is Saki-san?" Mikado asked.

"Good," Masaomi said. "She's doing great and still alive."

"Are you still worried about her?"

"Yes." Masaomi pulled Mikado into his arms. "But, I will not leave you."

"But…"

"I will not leave you. I have a few guys to watch over Saki for the time being. Everything will be alright."

"No, it won't," Mikado muttered against his chest. Masaomi pretended not to hear him.

* * *

-Deal with Devil-

_Six Months Earlier…_

Kimiko took freelance hacking jobs to pay her bills, her family's basic needs, and schooling for her daughters. (Yes, those types of jobs do exist on the deep web. You just have to know where to look.) Things had been going smooth lately, but Kimiko had a bigger goal in mind. She looked at the brochure for the top elementary school in Ikebukuro. This job would get her that much closer to her goal. At best, she could get her older daughter in before the slots were filled. Kimiko took a drink of her canned tea and booted up her laptop.

The job started with an e-mail. Already, this was strange because clients never e-mailed Kimiko first. She would come to them through the deep web job sites. All of those zeroes behind a number in the subject line was enough to hold her attention. Without another thought, Kimiko clicked on the e-mail. The job was simple. Do a little spying on Rampo Biotech and see what they were up to. There were reasons behind it. She didn't know much about the client in question. When she e-mailed them back with her usual inquiry, Kimiko only got one response.

"We just want the information," they wrote back. "We cannot tell you anything else. Red flag number two, but the need to get her babies in a decent school took over her judgement. Kimiko said that she would take it.

She started on her job with hacking into Rampo Biotech's database. Kimiko didn't know exactly what she was looking for. They didn't tell her exactly what they wanted her to do. She shrugged to herself as she started looking around. At first, everything looked standard. Personnel files, schedules of the staff, and a couple of light research projects. Nothing huge caught her eye.

That's when she saw that damned file.

"Endgame"

What was this? Kimiko's eyes widened as she clicked on the tiny little icon. A video popped up on the screen. A confused look came over her face.

"Huh? What the hell…?" she asked. "Welcome" popped up in red Kanji. The message looked so happy to see her. It turned and disappeared. Bright colors flashed across the screen. The video played no sound. The clip couldn't have longed no longer than ten seconds at least. Then suddenly her laptop froze.

"Huh?" Kimiko asked. She stood up and slapped the side of her monitor.

"Come on. Come on!" she said. Her laptop turned off in a flash. Panic started to wash over her face.

"No… No!" she said. Kimiko whipped her head around when she heard her phone ringing. She reached as felt around for it.

"Shit," she muttered when some of her papers fluttered to the floor.

"H-H-H-Hello?" she asked.

"You do know that hacking is a felony, right?" a man's voice asked. Kimiko's eyes widened when she looked down at her phone.

"Who is this?" she asked.

"Your would-be victim," the man said. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Kitano Katsuhiro. Nice to meet you Miyashiro Kimiko." Kimiko about jumped.

"How do you know my name" she asked. "How do you know my name?!"

"We are watching you," Kitano said. She frantically looked around the room. It felt as if the darkness was closing in on her, suffocating her.

"You messed up big time, Miyashiro-san," he said. "The way I see it, you have two options: I can press charges against or you can come work for me." Kimiko started to open her mouth.

"If you can work for me,  _both_  of your little girls will be easily secured into that fancy new school you have been eyeing for quite some time. Sounds better than your babies ending up in the system. So, what will it be Miyashiro-san?" Kimiko lowered her eyes as she could see that her fate was sealed.

_Present Day…_

Kimiko stood in front of Rampo Biotech before taking a deep breath and walking up to the glass doors.

* * *

-Chiharu-

Chiharu felt it again. By now, all of her memories as F started to resurface. The smell of rotting flesh made her stomach turn. Her phone rang again. She groaned aloud as she threw back her head. That bitch had some nerve.

"What?!" Chiharu growled.

"Now, now," Junko said. "That's no way to talk to your dear sweet mummy."

"My mom is dead, you cunt!"

"Your human mum, of course. But, that's beside the point, isn't it?"

"Don't you ever shut up?"

"Uh oh, someone's cranky from not eating properly."

"I won't do it!" Chiharu clenched her teeth as she growled this.

"My, my, my. Don't you get it? It's in your nature to feed, dear F-chan. You are an angel after all."

"I am not an angel! And don't call me F!"

"Why you just accept the truth? You are the original angel F and it is your nature to feed. Otherwise you will waste away and be pitiful. Now I can't have you like that, can I?"

Chiharu screamed as she threw her phone across the room. Junko laughed on the other line.

"You can fight it all you want, but you and I know that it's true," she said. "We will talk later." The other line hung up.


	25. Hisayo

Halo Twenty-Four: Hisayo:

Because she practiced dark magic, Mollie started to see Hisayo's memories during periods of the ghost girl possessing her. They would come in burst, leaving the vessel pale and nauseated. The three worst times happened in the course of two days. The first one occurred while Mollie was taking a shower. She got undressed and turned on the water. As soon as the warmth hit her skin, a giant shock shot through her body.

-October 10, 1984-

"You always do this!" a woman yelled in the kitchen.

"I have to go work," a man said back. "You know this, Asuka."

"Oh, don't give me that shit! Work, work, work! You are never home!"

"I told you I am doing this for the good of this city! I'm doing this to give our daughters a better future!"

"Now you care about our daughters?! Ha! That's rich coming from you!"

The man sighed. "I am not going to do this with you again."

"Where the hell are you going?!"

"I have to go to work! I will see you tomorrow."

"Come back here, you bastard! I'm not done talking to you!"

The whole time, two young girls stayed hidden away in the hall. Toshiko sat in Hisayo's lap as her sister covered her ears. The little girl huddled up into a ball.

"Shhh," Hisayo whispered in her ear. This was nothing new to the girls. Their parents' fights became more frequent as the years wore on. Lately, it had gotten worse. Takumi was in the middle of a campaign for a local politician. His name escaped them at the moment. To their mother, Takumi only seemed to care about the politician more than his family. She felt neglected and ignored. Because of this, she took it out on her family, mostly her husband. But, Takumi already decided he was having none of it anymore.

They heard their father walk out the door and slam it shut behind him.

-Present Day-

Mollie came back lying on the shower floor with water running on her body. She breathed heavily with tears running down her face.

-Mika and Michiko-

Mika tracked down Michiko at Ikebukuro West Gate Park. The small girl wasn't surprised to see her.

"How much do you remember?" Michiko asked.

"Everything," Mika said. She took a step forward. "Your plan is not working." Michiko pressed her lips together.

"We just need a little more time," she said.

"They won't give it to you!" Mika said. "They have only one gate left. Once that's opened, it's over." She started trembling. "I already had to tell my Seiji what happened to his sister. He got up and walked out the door. He's been acting strangely ever since."

"Strange how?" Michiko asked. Mika looked around for a bit.

"He can't stand the light anymore," she said in a low voice. The small girl tilted her head.

"Go on," she said. Mika fought down her need to chase down Seiji and try to talk to him again. She shivered and pressed her lips together.

"He keeps all of the blinds closed around the apartment," Mika said. "The only light he can stand is in front of the TV at nights. I've woken up to see him wander out of the apartment at nights. When I ask he where he went, Seiji says that he doesn't remember. He's also starting to look really pale."

"Has his smell changed?" Michiko asked.

"Excuse me?"

"Does he smell like burning or rotting flesh?"

"No…"

Michiko breathed out. "Good there is still time."

"Are you seeing that he might be possessed?"

"Now, I am not too sure about that. I would have to see him for myself first." Michiko narrowed her eyes.

"You asked this before, haven't you?" she asked.

"Yes," Mika said.

"Well, you came to me earlier this time," Michiko said. "I still don't understand why."

"I don't know either," the teenaged girl said. Mika held her hand to her chest. Her mind started to go back to Seiji and his odd behavior. Last night, she awoke to hear him mumbling to himself. Seiji sat on the foot of the bed, staring at the static of the TV. Mika pulled the sheets to her chest.

"Seiji?" she asked. He didn't turn around. Mika crawled over to him, shaking his shoulder.

"Hey," she whispered. "Hey. Hey." Seiji turned his head. Mika backed up, startled. He didn't speak, but his eyes were so empty. His fake girlfriend slowly drew back. Seiji turned back to the TV, the whole time not saying a word.

That alone convinced that something was really wrong last night.

-April 14, 1985-

Hisayo had always stood out during her school years. She never really interacted with the other children in her class. With her appearance and mother's behavior, it was easy to see why. It wasn't always like that, though. Takumi and Asuka used to be so happy. Asuka had many dreams about their future together. Her husband wanted to make said dreams come true and set out to make the money to do so. This was a little before the bubble burst and everything looked rosy. Takumi always wanted to give back to the community. Maybe that desire led to cracks in the family dream.

Lucky for Hisayo, she did have a chance to see a little bit of light.

She knew Abe-sensei even before he became her homeroom teacher. In fact, he came by her apartment on that Sunday. Takumi had to work again that day. Asuka started off in a cranky mood. Her daughters tried their best to stay out of her way.

Then, the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it!" Hisayo shouted. She jumped off of her bed and made her way to the front door. The girl looked out the peep hole.

"Who is it?" she asked. A man in a dark brown suit stood outside, waiting.

"Is Isobe-san in?" he asked.

"Who are you?" Hisayo asked.

"I am just an old friend who decided to stop by," the man said. "Are you her daughter?"

"Yes…" Hisayo said, slowly. She unlocked the door and creaked it open. She thought that she was staring at a god. This beautiful man looked to be about in his mid-thirties with short dark messy hair. His glasses gave him a mature charm about him. His suit looked so clean. Hisayo's cheeks turned bright pink.

"Is your mother in?" the man asked.

"Yeah…" Hisayo said in a daze.

"Hisayo, who is that at the door?" Asuka asked from down the hall. Hisayo and the man looked up to see her walking up to the front door. She froze when she saw the man's face.

"Masashi… -kun…" Asuka murmured.

"Hello," Masashi said. "I just moved back into the area and heard that you have been living here for quite some time. How have you been doing?"

"F-F-F-Fine…" she said. "How are you?" Masashi looked between the blushing mother and daughter.

"Uh… good," he said. "Can I come in?" Asuka quickly nodded.

"Uh… sure, sure," she said. The housewife was quick to move aside and let the man inside. Abe Masashi. That man wasn't aware at the time, but he left an impression on his soon-to-be student. It didn't take long for Hisayo to fall hard for him. He didn't stay too long, but it was enough for her to latch onto him.

Why was that such beauty could lead to ruin?

-Present Day-

The next thing Mollie knew she was standing out in the middle of the street late at night only wearing a pair of black and white striped panties. She had no idea where she was or how she got there. Mollie didn't even know what she was doing there.

-Work Day-

Kimiko walked up to the front desk with her ID badge in hand. The receptionist looked up and scanned the barcode.

"Thank you," the hacker mumbled. The receptionist turned back to her computer and pretended to be working. Kimiko sighed and walked to the elevator. She could feel a little part of her die away every time she did this. But what choice did she have? Going to the police would mean incriminating herself as well. Kimiko rubbed her forehead and sighed. At least the elevator ride gave her time to clear her head and calm down.

The bell rang and the doors opened to the sixth floor, dragging her back into reality. Kimiko adjusted her bag and walked off. She headed straight for the computer lab. The hacker used her pass to get in.

A girl with long red hair looked up from her computer. She waved with a half-asleep look on her face.

"Yo," she mumbled.

"Hello, Tomoe," Kimiko said. The door slid closed as she walked over to her computer. She could see the sweat through her colleague's blue and white shirt.

"Run here from the net café again?" Kimiko asked.

"No, the air conditioning was broken at my place," Tomoe said. The older woman gave her a strange look.

"You actually went home for a change?" she asked.

"Had to," Tomoe said.

"Was it your mom again?"

"No."

"No?"

Tomoe shut her eyes and let out a deep sigh. "I just had to get out of here. Kyuwa dmed me and asked if I wanted to go get something to eat. I couldn't stand looking at this screen or these walls anymore. So I jumped at the chance. After that, I just went straight home and didn't look back."

Kimiko looked around the computer lab. "Where is Kyuwa for that matter? And Masu and Kunio?" Tomoe shrugged.

"Kyuwa is still probably hung over somewhere," she said. "I don't know about the other two." She turned back to her computer screen and froze.

"Oh," the younger hacker said.

"What is it?" Kimiko asked. She rolled her chair over for a look. The screen was black with light green writing going up and down. At first glance, it just looked like gibberish. The lines of text moved in wavy lines. Kimiko tilted her head.

"What is that?" she asked.

"I don't know," Tomoe said. "I've never seen it do that before." She tried to move her mouse, but nothing happened. She couldn't even see the curser moving.

"Come on," the young hacker muttered. "Come on." Tomoe started to bang on keys on the keyboard. The green Kanji started to disappear pixel by pixel. Suddenly, a single message appeared across the screen.

"Are you lost in this world like me?" Kimiko read. She and Tomoe looked at each other.

"What does that mean?" the older hacker asked.

"I have no idea…" Tomoe mumbled.

Meanwhile, Kitano saw the same message on his screen.

"Heh," he said to himself, smirking.

-August 18, 1987-

Hisayo came home that evening. She was out at a small study group formed by Abe-sensei. The girl was overjoyed when the charming invited her over to his place. She ignored all of the stares and whispers from the other students in the group. The girl was just happy to have the escape for a change. Things grew worse when Takumi fell in front of that train. Asuka wouldn't get out of bed. She spent her mornings crying. They claimed that Isobe Takumi committed suicide. It didn't make sense to the family at all. He loved life too much. He kept planning for future of the city. On the eighteenth of August 1987, Hisayo hadn't thought much about what was going to happen.

"I'm home," she whispered, unlocking the door. Toshiko was away in her little world as she was coloring another picture on the floor. Hisayo smiled to herself as she took off her shoes and walked inside. She only thought about taking a shower, having dinner, and going to bed.

"Mom?" Hisayo asked as she walked down the hall. The girl made it to her room and turned on the light. Asuka sat on her daughter's bed. Hisayo about jumped when she turned and saw her.

"Oh! Mama!" she said. "What are you doing in my room?" It was then she noticed that Asuka's face looked more like a demon painted in red.

"Mama?" Hisayo asked. Asuka's nostrils flared as she threw her daughter's diary at her feet. Her frozen eyes saw fire.

"Whore!" she barked. Hisayo's eyes widened as she put the pieces together.

"It's not what you think it is," she said in trembling voice. The girl hadn't seen Asuka like this before. Sure, her mother was angry with her father during their fights, but this was just…

"Liar!" Asuka screamed. "I don't want to hear it!" Without warning, she bolted up from the bed and raced towards her daughter. Hisayo turned and took off running. She ran down the hall and through the living room.

"Come back here, bitch!" Asuka screamed. Hisayo ran out front door. She got as far as the outside stairs before Asuka kept up and pushed down. Hisayo didn't even get a chance to scream as sprained her ankle, stumbling, and falling to the concrete. She tried to crawl down the stairs to get to the landlady's apartment. The will to escape was the only thing pushing her to keep moving.

_I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to die._

To her amazement, Hisayo made it to the bottom. She made it to the landlady's front door when she heard heavy breathing and footsteps. Hisayo had to tell herself not to turn around as she reached up to knock on the door. A hand reached down and grabbed her by the hair. Hisayo could see into her mother's cold eyes. Asuka had no emotion on her face as snapped her daughter's neck at a ninety-degree angle, crushing her throat. She did it so fast. How could a frail and tired woman find the strength to do this to a teenage girl? Hisayo's face was fixed with fear as Asuka carried her back up the stairs.

Everything seemed to move so slowly.

Hisayo's view became dull and grainy as they made it back into the kitchen. Asuka bit on the floor as she opened the kitchen closet.

"You're always taking everything away from me," she muttered under her breath. Asuka stuffed her still living daughter into a giant black trash bag. Hisayo could hear her mother moving about the house. She couldn't turn around to see what was going on.

Bite. Rip. Rip. Rustle. Rip. Rip. Rustle. Meow! Snap!

Then, the footsteps walked back into the kitchen. Hisayo couldn't move or speak. Instead, she let out a low death rattle as she saw her mother's ankles walk by in her vision.

_Please don't do this, mama. I don't want to die. Nothing happened between Abe-sensei and I. Please don't kill me._

Asuka took out a box cutter from a kitchen drawer and clicked it on. Tears steamed down Hisayo's cheeks. Her mother turned around with no emotion on her face.

Stab!

Hisayo could feel every blow to her skinny body. Each stab landed in her chest and torso. She didn't die right away. Instead, she felt herself fading away towards the end. Asuka made one more cut across Hisayo's abdomen and pushed the wound open.

"Heh, I thought so," Asuka said. That would be the last thing she would ever hear.

-Present Day-

Mollie sat back, startled. She found herself again only dressed in panties. This time, she was kneeling on the kitchen floor. Her face, torso, neck, shoulders, hair, and arms were covered in blood. But, it wasn't her blood.

She itched her head over to the right. The socialite found herself clutching a large kitchen knife covered in more blood. Horrifying realization washed over her as bits of her own memory appeared into her head. Who did she just…

Against her better judgment, Mollie looked down.

Their second maid lay beneath her covered in multiple stabs wounds with a permanent look of terror on her face. "April Showers" from  _Bambi_  playing from the living room blended seamlessly with the blood curding screaming and the knife hitting the floor.

-Junko-

Junko sat at her computer in the basement with the empty bottle of Biddy Early in her fingers. She smirked as she tuned out the sound of the howling angels in their cages. The nurse only had one angel on her mind.

"She will cave tonight," Junko said to herself. After she secured F completely, she already made the plans to move onto the other targets on her list.


	26. Tandeki

Halo Twenty-Five: Tandeki:

What purpose do the angels serve? Ever since 1991, these creatures have been living in cages in different basements. In the beginning, Kitano and Etsuko didn't know what to do with F. They spent years feeding and studying her. But then, she just died in 1996. By then, they had thirty angels in cages in Chou Mori. They had enough to continue their research. Etsuko fed F's body to the other angels. Such a shame to lose that first angel, though.

Until now.

* * *

-Junko-

Junko walked around the various cages. She stopped at D's cage. The pitiful-looking creature gave her a blank stare with its light pink eyes. The nurse smirked and shook her head.

"Hello, D," she cooed. "How are you tonight?" The angel made a screeching noise as it stared at her. He sounded like he had swallowed a whistle. D looked like he hadn't seen the light in years.

"Heh," Junko said.

"Why are you doing this to us?" a small voice croaked. The nurse turned around. Z leaned against her cage, ready to cry.

"Oh?" the nurse asked. Z sniffled.

"You're always picking on him!" she complained. "Why can't you just leave him alone?" Yui and Naoki sat in the back corner, watching. Junko all but laughed as she walked over to the cage.

"Why you ask?" she asked. "Why you ask?" Z slowly nodded. Yui tried not to laugh. Junko flipped back her long black hair.

"Okay then," she said. "First of all, you are more evolved and he is now." Junko smirked as she looked deep into Z's eyes.

"You should not exist, you know?" she asked. "You were all just an accident." The nurse turned to her two interns.

"You know something," she said. "I'm in a generous mood tonight. I know you all had some burning questions for me. Go ahead. Ask away." The interns blinked at first.

"Okay…" Naoki said. "What do we do with them after… Well, you know…" Junko smirked.

"I haven't decided yet," she said. "I might just let them run free in the end." The nurse saw the worried looks on her interns' faces.

"Aw don't worry," she said. "We won't be here to witness any of it." That did little to ease them.

"Right," Junko said. "Anything else?"

"Uh… yeah," Yui said. "Why exactly do they not die?"

"That I cannot answer," the nurse said. "I was just given the raw ingredients of the tadpole drug Raijin to work with. This was before they corrected the problems. I just played around with it to make it more stable."

Junko leaned forward, smirking. "In fact, I worked on it to the point that the test subject will just need one injection for it to take effect."

"What about F?" Naoki asked.

"Ah yes, her," the nurse said. "F is a very special case. She has been human for seventeen years. I had to revert her back to being an angel. Her transformation is just about complete." Suddenly, her intercom crackled on. Junko rolled her eyes and pressed the button.

"Want do you want?" she asked.

"I am here to check on your progress," Aya said on the other line. Junko groaned.

"Come in," she said.

"I don't want to," the therapist said.

"We go through this every time. Of course they are going to stink! They are angels after all."

"That's the problem."

Junko rolled her eyes. "Just get in here already."

"Fine," Aya said. The nurse turned to her interns as if to ask, "Can you believe this shit?" Yui and Naoki said nothing. They just shuffled back to tending to the angels. The nurse sat back, smirking. She pushed the doors open. Junko counted down the to the footsteps down the down the door. Beep. Click. Slide. Junko smiled and waved.

"Yo," she said. Aya took a step back and covered her nose.

"How can you stand to be in here?" she asked. "It smells like something died in here." The nurse shrugged.

"It's my job," she said. "I don't complain."

"My eyes are burning!" Aya wailed. "Can you at least get some air freshener or something?"

"That won't help, sensei," Yui said. "We've tried."

"Seriously?!" the therapist complained. Junko waved her off.

"Yeah, yeah," she said. "What do you want? Speak, woman!" Aya coughed for a moment.

"Your progress on F?" she asked.

"Ah yes," Junko said. "I am just about to complete have her reverted back. In fact…" The nurse turned to her computer and moved the mouse. Her screen awoke to a black chart with red, yellow, white, and green wavy lines.

"And what is that?" Aya asked.

"F's stat," Junko said. "Right now, everything is calm with a side of panic." She smiled and shook her head.

"My, my, my," the nurse said. "She's fighting so hard. It's not good on her body. She's so desperate to try and stay human. She must know by now that she can't go back anymore." Aya frowned as she rolled her eyes.

"Get to the point!" she barked. "When will it be done?" Junko grinned.

"Tonight," she said.

"And how can you be so sure of that?" Aya asked. The nurse moved her mouse over the screen.

"See this?" she asked.

"What is it?" Aya asked.

"It's the angel DNA in F's body," Junko said, holding the cursor over the small wavy yellow line. "When that spikes, the process will be complete."

"And you are sure it will happen tonight?" the therapist asked as she wrinkled her nose. Junko broke into a huge grin.

"Yep!" she said. Aya frowned and rolled her eyes.

"Whatever," she mumbled.

* * *

-Mikado-

Mikado awoke to tapping on his window. He sat up and looked outside. A woman with golden eyes and long wavy lilac hair was looking inside. She pointed at the locks of the window to get in. Confused, Mikado crawled over and opened the window. Looking at her gold eyes behind her glasses only gave him one name to call her from his recovering memories.

"Cheri?" he asked. Her lips curved into a foxlike smirk.

"So good that you remember me," she said. The madam tried not to snicker. "Congratulations on popping your cherry at last." Mikado's face turned bright red.

"It's not like that!" he hissed, flailing his arms about. "I wasn't in the right state of mind when it happened."

"If you say so," Cheri said.

"Really, that's what it was," the tadpole said. He shivered as he held his hand. "I just feel so dirty thinking about it. I took advantage of her." Cheri rubbed his back.

"I don't think you did," she said. Mikado shook his head.

"Is that all you came here for?" he asked. Cheri drew back her hand and sat up straight.

"I have come here to warn you," she said. "There are stronger demons coming to kill you and the other tadpoles."

"Yes," Mikado said.

"Tandeki is also close to finding the seventh gate," Cheri added. "You will also want to check on your little angel friend too. She's getting pretty hungry." The tadpole gave her a strange look.

"What do you know about Hashimoto-san?" he asked. Cheri flipped back her long lilac hair.

"She doesn't have much time," she said. "There is a trap being set for you both—tonight." Mikado was about to speak when his phone rang.

"Excuse me," he said. The tadpole picked up his phone.

"Hello?" Mikado asked.

"Seiji's gone missing!" Mika shouted on the other line. "He's not answering his phone and I don't know where he is!"

"What?" the tadpole asked.

"I was making dinner and then Seiji just walked out door," she explained. "I don't know where he is. He's not answering his phone or texts. I've called everyone we know and we can't find him." Mikado stood up.

"I'll be right there," he said. The tadpole hung up his phone.

"Anri, Masaomi!" Mikado shouted. "Get up! We've got a problem!" His friends woke up from slumber.

"What is it?" Masaomi asked. "Are you having another break down again?"

"Seiji's gone missing," Mikado said. "Mika can't find him and he's not answering his phone." His friends got up and got dressed.

"Be careful out there!" Cheri shouted as the trio headed out the door. Mikado waved her off. The madam disappeared as the door swung closed.

* * *

-Counting Down-

Junko smiled to herself as she looked at her computer screen.

"Five… Four.." she said. She sounded like a happy child waiting to open her presents on Christmas. The nurse smiled the whole time.

"Really? You're going to do this?" Aya asked.

"Three… Two…" Junko said, counting down with her fingers. The therapist rolled her eyes. The nurse smirked at the screen.

"One," she said.


	27. Widow

Halo Twenty-Six: Widow:

Everyone had been out looking for hours. Celty rode around on Shooter, looking around for Seiji in the streets. Saburo drove the Van Gang around with their eyes peeled for the missing teenager. Madoka stood on the roof of her new apartment, looking for him. Mikado and his friends were looking for Seiji with Mika too. Even Shingen and Michiko pulled Shinra into the search party. He would be playing a vital role after all. Shingen sat down in old book in front of his son.

"What is this for?" Shinra asked.

"You're going to need it when we find Seiji," his father said.

"Huh?" the young doctor asked. Michiko stepped out from behind Shingen.

"Michiko-chan?" Shinra asked. The young girl flinched when she heard "chan" attached to her name.

"We believe that Seiji-kun is possessed," she said.

"How can you be so sure?" the younger doctor asked.

"We've seen it before," his father said. "Seiji is exhibiting all of the signs from what Mika has told us."

"So… why are you handing me this?" Shinra asked with the book in his hand.

"We're going to need you to do the exorcism with us," Shingen said.

"What?! But I'm an underground doctor! I don't do exorcisms!" his son shouted.

"Well, you do now! Let's go!" his father shouted. He grabbed Shinra by the arm before his son had a chance to argue. Michiko ran after him.

* * *

"Do you see him yet?" Masaomi asked.

"Not yet," Anri said. She pulled Mika into her arms to calm her down. Mikado glanced behind him over at Chiharu. She had her eyes down as she held her trembling arm. It was her idea to come out with them. Chiharu called up Mikado with desperation in her voice.

"Can I call you back?" Mikado asked. "We're looking for Seiji right now. He's gone missing."

"Let me help," Chiharu pleaded.

"I don't think that's a good idea," he said.

"Please!" she pleaded. "I'm about to lose my mind here! If I have to hear that crazy bitch nurse one more time, I will go crazy. The pain has been getting much worse. Let me come and help you. It will give me something to do!" Mikado sighed and rubbed his forehead.

"Fine," he said. "But I will not let you out of my sight, okay?"

"I understand," Chiharu said.

"You doing okay?" Masaomi asked in present day. Chiharu shook her head. Mikado had this sinking feeling that something beside their Seiji problem was about to unfold.

_Kurosawa-san, do you see him yet?_

_I'm still looking. There is so much ground to cover in this city, you know?_

_Yes, of course._

_How about you?_

_Nothing on our end either._

_I see. I will keep looking._

_Thank you._

"Harima-san, do you know of any places where Seiji would go without you?" Mikado asked. Mika took a moment to think.

"There is one place that he briefly mentioned a couple days ago," she said. "I didn't know why he would even bring it up in the first place."

"Do you know where that is?" Anri asked.

"Yes, yes," her friend said. "I looked it up last night. I saved the map on my phone." Mika pulled out her phone and pulled up the map. The other teenagers gathered around for a look.

"Isn't that the place near Sunshine 60?" Masaomi asked.

"Yes," Mika said. "I know a faster way to get there." She had to lead the way. Mikado spent a message through the Dollars' message board to follow suite on the way.

* * *

Izaya looked out the window of Kitano's office. He already read the message on the Dollars' message board. Something like this had happened before, but the information broker couldn't quite track it down in his memories. Behind him, Kitano cleared his throat. Izaya turned his head.

"You wanted to see me?" he asked.

"Aw yes," Kitano said. "There is something I always wanted to ask you."

"Oh? What would that be?" Izaya asked. The therapist had no emotion on his face.

"I'm curious about something," he said. "I couldn't understand why you would be interested in our little game. You have said many times before the you love humans." Izaya started to speak, but Kitano held up his hand.

"Don't speak. I am still talking," he said. "I feel that our goals don't line up. But yet, here you are day after day. In the beginning, it didn't make sense to us. So, I did some thinking."

"And?" the information broker asked. Kitano delivered the next thought in a stoic tone.

"I think you are spying on us," he said. Izaya gave him a slightly puzzled look.

"Hm? Why would you have that idea about me?" he asked.

"Oh come on, Orihara-san, please don't insult my intelligence," the therapist said. "You know how much I hate that." He had a quick sharp glare in his eyes before returning to the stoic mask on his face. Both men stared each other down for a moment.

"You can drop the pretense," Kitano said. "We already know that you are spying on us. The question is, who." He narrowed his eyes behind his glasses.

"Now, knowing you, you won't tell me who you are working for," the therapist said. "So, I decided to try a different tactic." Kitano rested his hands until his chin.

"How about telling me who it is not," he said. "I am going to ask you who it isn't and you will tell me if I right or not."

"How will you know if I'm even telling the truth?" Izaya asked.

"Because you aren't that stupid to lie in the first place," the therapist said. "Now, tell me who you are not working for. Do you work for Vozrozhdeniye?"

"No," the information broker said.

"Mam?"

"No."

"The Awakusu?"

"No."

"The Dollars?"

"No."

"The Yellow Scarves?"

"No."

"Are they even from this time period?" Kitano noticed the shocked and confused look on Izaya's face. The therapist raised his eyebrow as the information broker tried to compose to himself.

"Do you want to hear my little theory?" he asked. Izaya didn't speak. Kitano chuckled.

"Of course you do," he said. "I think you are working for someone not from Ikebukuro. I also think that they aren't from this period. I also think that they are from the future. On top of that, I think I have known them from the past." The therapist looked him in the eye.

"How am I doing so far?" he asked. Izaya didn't need to answer him in words. Kitano had the answers that he needed just by the information broker struggling to keep his composure. The therapist picked up his cup and finished his tea.

"Just as I thought," Kitano said. Izaya stood staring at him as he started to panic inside.

* * *

Elsewhere, Harley wandered around the junk yard. She had grown to love her new vessel. This gangster woman felt like her own skin if she was born with it. She commanded respect from her gang. The boys were willing to do anything for her.

But, Harley's not on vacation in the Living World here. She's got work to do.

She walked around a pile of old tech trash. Harley frowned to herself.  _Come on. Give me something here. Where is it?_ Harley finally found an old broken phone in the tech trash.

"Ha found one!" she said. Harley picked up the black old phone and blew off the dust. She dialed the number 444-999-1313666 on the cracked keypad. The demon woman held the phone to her ear.

"Hello?" Harley asked. "Boss, it's me. Yeah, I made it. I'm in the body of a gangster woman. She was dying, so it's okay. What is the next thing I need to do?" She listened for a few seconds and nodded.

"I understand," Harley said. "I will keep you posted. Goodbye." She hung up and tossed the broken phone back into the pile of old tech junk. Harley then disappeared into thin air.

* * *

Celty, Shinra, Shingen, and Michiko made it to the Sunshine 60 building. Shingen climbed out of Shooter's side car.

"Here?" he asked.

"Yes," Michiko said as she stepped out of the sidecar as well.

"So where would he be?" Shinra asked.

"Hang on," Michiko said. She touched her forehead. Low buzzing filled her ears. The young girl ignored the screaming she heard from the building. Another voice came into her head.

"You will never make me leave."

"There!" Michiko shouted as she pointed to the top of the building.

[All the way up there?] Celty typed.

"Yes," the young girl said. "We don't have much time. He's about to fully take over."

"He? You mean the demon?" Shinra asked.

"Yes," Michiko said.

[Let's go!] Celty typed. The party headed straight into the building. They found Seiji standing near the edge of the building with his arms out.

"Welcome to my little party," he said. Michiko drew out a fuda and slowly walked closer.

"Is Seiji-kun still in there?" she asked. The possessed boy gave her a twisted smile.

"What are you talking about?" he asked. "Seiji's right here, little girl."

"You are not him," Michiko said, shaking her head. "Who are you?" The possessed boy threw up his hands.

"You got me!" he said. "He's still here, but not for long!"

"How did you come to take control?"

Seiji tried not to laugh. "He just let me in." He looked up at the night sky.

"I was looking around for a fresh vessel to inhabit. I wasn't having too much luck. Then, I found this boy wandering around the city in shock. He just looked so numb just walking around there." He moved his hands around in a dramatic fashion as he spoke.

"This boy just simply let me in," the demon went on.

"Seiji would never do that," Shinra said. The possessed boy all but laughed.

"You would be surprised," he said. "Grief creates the perfect opening for demons like me." The boy's lips curved into a devilish smirk.

"His little girlfriend gave me the key to the perfect conditions," he added. "She should've just kept quiet about his dead sister."

"Wait… Namie is dead?" Shinra asked.

"Yes," the possessed boy said. "Her soul rests in hell!" He broke down laughing before he froze.

"What the… What the fuck did you do?!" the demon asked. Michiko smirked.

"Got you," she said. Seiji looked down to see Celty's shadows holding him in place. The possessed boy gave the dullahan a cold glare.

"You!" he barked. Shingen, Michiko, and Shinra circled the boy. They pulled out their books.

"Do not lose focus," the young girl said. She dove right in on the chanting. Shingen followed behind. Shinra shrugged and joined in. Celty held the possessed boy within the circle. Seiji started howling out.

"Seiji-kun!" a girl's voice cried. The possessed boy opened one eye and saw Mika with the other teenagers running up the stairs. He smirked as he saw Mikado follow behind Masaomi. His eyes turned to Michiko and the crew.

"If you drive me out, you will regret it," he warned. Michiko glared at the possessed boy. Celty took note of his tone and knew that something wasn't right. She started looking around for any traps.

"Seiji-kun!" Mika shouted.

"Get back!" Michiko yelled. "You must not interfere under any circumstances!" Anri had to hold Mika back and calm her down. Shinra and Shingen kept the chanting going stop as Michiko joined back in.

"You think this is a game?" the demon asked. "I'm serious! You will be making a terrible mistake." Celty didn't loosen her grip as she tried to look for where the trap was. Something told her that this set up was too easy. Way too easy.

_Something isn't right here._

That's when she saw it. But she had no mouth to warn Michiko, Shinra, and Shingen in time. Seiji had a twisted smirk on his face. Michiko smacked him on the chest with her fuda. The demon left Seiji's body through his mouth. Kadota and the Van Gang came up just in time to hear Anri yell, "Mikado-kun, look out!" Another demon, an amanojaku, sailed towards the tadpole boy with a knife aimed at his chest.

"You're pretty vulnerable with the dullahan, aren't you tadpole boy?" he asked. Michiko cursed herself. The exorcised demon laughed in the air.

"Didn't I tell you?" he asked. Mikado and the others didn't have the time to react. Kadota tried to push the tadpole boy out of the way.

Stab!

The knife caught Kadota by his arm as he pushed Mikado down. A rivulet of blood pooled on the ground.

"Dotachin!" Erika shouted. She, Walker, and Saburo crowded around their leader. The two demons disappeared into the sky. Kadota turned and looked at his arm. The knife still stood in the wound.

"You okay, man?" Saburo asked.

"I'm fine, but it hurts in my arm," Kadota said. Walker pulled out the knife.

"Ow!" the boss hissed through clinched. He climbed off of Mikado.

"You okay?" Kadota asked.

"Uh… yeah…" the young man said. His attention was directed elsewhere when he noticed the hungry look on Chiharu's face.

_No. Don't do it. Fight it, Hashimoto-san. You are much stronger than this._

* * *

Junko smirked at the screen.

"One," she said. The thin yellow line spiked high on the white dotted lines of the chart. Junko turned in her chair, laughing and clapping her hands.

"It's done!" she said. "See? Told you!" Junko stuck out her tongue at Aya. The therapist rolled her eyes.

"Whatever," she muttered.

"Satisfied?"

"Yes."

"Anything else?"

"No."

"Good. Now get out of my office. Go on, shoo!"

"Whatever."

Junko smiled to herself as Aya turned and walked out of the basement. It was then she noticed that it had suddenly become quiet. The nurse and interns looked up to see the angels all sitting quietly as they looked up at the ceiling of their cages.

"What happened?" Yui asked. "What's going on?" Junko broke into a huge smile.

"This, my child, is the beginning of the new phase in the Angel Project!" she said with her arms out. Her laughter drowned out the silence.

* * *

The sight of that red fluid hitting the ground was all it took. Chiharu lifted her head with wide eyes. She started breathing heavily as she swallowed back her drool. Mikado happened to look up and notice that glazed over look in his eyes. He started pleading in his mind that she wouldn't break.

_No. Don't do it. Fight it, Hashimoto-san. You are much stronger than this._

Sadly, his pleading did not reach her as her breathing grew heavier. Chiharu bolted straight for the blood.

"Chiharu, no!" Masaomi shouted. She landed on her hands and knees and started lapping up the blood on the ground. Chiharu looked like a wild animal lost in her frenzy. Her crazed eyes were blinded with the hunger. The shouting and the shock from the count couldn't reach her. All that mattered to her was the blood. Her tongue tried to get lap up every single drop.

When she was done, Chiharu sat back on the ground, leaning up against the wall of the building. She looked like a junkie who just satisfied her cravings.


End file.
